BEIJING, Dec 12: Nine people have been arrested as tensions in a southern Chinese village remained high on Monday following a confrontation with paramilitary forces last week that left up to 30 locals dead, residents said.

Villagers said they were living in fear because local authorities were still searching for about 140 people considered the most active demonstrators and had posted their pictures on fugitive notices on the streets.

The arrests were announced on local television after the Chinese government admitted over the weekend that the paramilitary forces had last Tuesday opened fire on residents of Dongzhou village, Shanwei city in Guangdong province.

Last week’s confrontation arose from villagers’ dissatisfaction over inadequate compensation the government offered for taking their land to build a big coal-fired power plant, locals have said.

State media over the weekend put the death toll at three—AFP