Eighteen men have been arrested after two forestry officials were killed in a violent confrontation between villagers and lumber workers in Gansu province, a provincial newspaper reported yesterday.
The violence highlighted tension among rural villages where rivals often fight over control of resources, ignoring orders from local governments.
The Min county Government sent in dozens of police officers to control the situation. The county Government oversees Yanjia village, where the clash erupted, and the Heihu Lumber Farm.
Violence flared last Tuesday when 11 forestry officials and police officers from Heihu farm went to the village in two Jeeps to rescue a colleague who was being held over a dispute, according to the Lanzhou Morning Post.
After they failed to see village leaders, the team returned in the evening to Heihu farm. At 9pm, they were ambushed by 'several hundred' villagers who used a tree trunk to block the road.
The villagers threw rocks at the officials. One driver was knocked unconscious and the Jeep ran off the road. The people in the other Jeep managed to escape.
