Thirteen villagers from Guangdong Province have been jailed for up to seven years for their part in a series of riots last year.

The villagers, all from Haifeng County, Shanwei City, were convicted of illegally manufacturing explosives, disturbing the public order and illegally assembling to disrupt transport services, the Xinhua News Agency reported.

Huang Xirang, described as one the riots' chief leaders, was jailed for seven years.

Huang Xijun and four other villagers were jailed for three to six years and Zhang Qingyu was jailed for three years.

Six villagers, including Wei Zunzhan and Huang Xiran, received three years jail with four years' suspension.

Six others who stood trial were acquitted.

Meanwhile local officials responsible for the area also received Party or government penalties.

Shanwei's Vice-Party Secretary Liu Jinsheng, who is in charge of the city's law and order, received a "stern warning" from the Party.

The city's vice-mayor and police chief Li Min and director of the city's Bureau of Construction Chen Huinan both received warnings from the Party.

Sitting on Wednesday Haifeng County Court heard how during May and June last year, Huang Xijun, Huang Xirang and Zhang Qingyu had plotted to disrupt the Shanwei Jiangang Earthwork Company's quarry at the Gongtashan stonepit near Dongzhou Village.

On June 30 and July 1 last year they encouraged more than 100 villagers to break into the quarry, beating the quarrymen and smashing equipment.

And in December, they organized a gang of more than 100 villagers who attacked an electric power plant, assaulting policemen on guard and hurling explosives at the building.

According to a statement issued by the information office of Shanwei municipal government in December 2005, the policemen fired warning shots but accidentally killed and injured some villagers in the dark.

(China Daily May 26, 2006)