One person died and another 15 were injured on Sunday in a southwest China village when residents clashed with police sent there to tackle illegal mining, local officials said on Tuesday.

Five alleged participants of the riot, including one surnamed Xiang, were being held in custody, according to the police of Malipo County in Yunnan Province.

Xiang and another villager surnamed Chen met on Saturday night to mastermind violence against the operation of legal mining companies, police said.

More than 70 villagers armed with knives and clubs attacked and injured five police in Saxi Village, of Malipo County, on Sunday morning, said Malipo County government officials.

The villagers, all from small mining companies without licenses, were trying to disturb the operation of legal mining companies, the officials said.

But villagers said the clash erupted when they staged a protest against what they claimed was inadequate compensation offered by the Jinwei branch of Zijin Mining Group Co. Ltd., a company introduced to conduct large-scale mining.

In the clash, the police defended themselves with guns, batons and shields, leaving 11 villagers injured, one of whom died on the way to hospital, the officials added.

The police fired warning shots, but this proved ineffective, and the safety of the police was severely threatened, said a statement from the county government. They were forced to use guns, batons and shields according to the law to defend themselves, said the statement.

The situation was under control and all the injured were receiving treatment in hospital, the statement added.

Malipo County boasts large deposits of tungsten, stannum, zinc, copper and iron. The local government started early last year to restructure the tungsten industry and crack down illegal mining, but the policy was resisted by some small companies.

(Xinhua News Agency April 23, 2008)