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SCMP Reporter

At least two villagers died on Monday after thousands clashed with hundreds of police and government officials in northeastern Jiangxi province, according to residents.
 However, mainland media reported yesterday that authorities had denied there had been any deaths.
About 100 residents of Dongxia village stormed the Gangkou township government building on Monday, protesting about being evicted from their homes because of nearby state-owned mines, the China News Web reported.
 Several police and government officials were injured and  police vehicles were damaged. The report did not mention the number of residents hurt or detained. 
According to the report, the villagers had set out for Beijing in 12 buses at 5am on Monday, planning to submit a petition to central government authorities. But they were stopped by police at 2pm. and forced to return to the town. 
Some became angry and blocked the road, while others threw bricks and stones at  police. 
The report said another crowd gathered around 9pm and tried to storm the township government building. Windows and office equipment were broken and police vehicles damaged. The report said the riot was quickly brought under control.
Internet posts by villagers tell a different story. They say villagers have protested several times this year about pollution caused by nearby tungsten mines. 
They say that on Monday afternoon, more than 300 armed police stopped all vehicles leaving the town, beating unarmed villagers who tried to break through the blockade.
 The internet posts, accompanied by photos showing a large crowd protesting in front of the government building, claimed at least two villagers were killed and dozens  detained.
Xiushui county spokeswoman Liang Hong  said the posts and photos were fake. 
The authorities did confirm that a tungsten mine close to Dongxia village was bought by China Minmetals Corporation in 2003 and that pollution from the mine meant the villagers had to move. 
The county government said it had offered more than 20 million yuan (HK$22.9 million) in compensation to help the 66 village households relocate. The villagers demanded at least one million yuan for each household. 
Villagers said they had been driven to protest because to date they had been paid only 2,500 yuan in compensation.



Officials deny claims of deaths in protests by evicted villagers