The Hainan government has warned authorities in Dongfang city where deadly riots broke out not to use excessive force on residents and to open up to the media.
Xiao Ruohai, the party boss in charge of law and order in Hainan province, said the incident occurred mainly because local officials failed to handle the 'public's resentment and reasonable demands', China News Service reported.
He said local authorities should not rely on police force alone to solve problems. Earlier, the authorities deployed more than 1,000 police officers in two villages, Baoshang and Gancheng, to prevent fresh unrests.
Mr Xiao said the provincial government would send cadres to the two villages and conduct door-to-door talks with residents and listen to their grievances.
'Most of the people [taking part in the riots] are young men. We should talk to them, educate them and help them solve their disputes,' he said.
He said police had issued an arrest warrant against a man who was blamed for the death of one of the villagers during the riot. Mr Xiao believed they had enough police to prevent another riot but said the authorities must be careful when using force, to avoid provoking public resentment.
