Three villagers suffered minor injuries yesterday after they clashed with security guards for a Chinese-owned company with which they are ensnared in a long-running land dispute.

About 40 security guards from Union Development Group (UDG) and some 60 villagers from Koh Sdech commune in Koh Kong province’s Kiri Sakor district threw rocks and petrol bombs at each other, as villagers attempted to block trucks intent on filling a road with debris to keep residents out of their village, said Prak Thorn, a villager representative.

“They dumped one truck-load of soil, but we stopped another truck that was going to dump,” Thorn said. “One [villager] was injured near his left ear, one injured his leg and the other was burned by a bottle of gasoline.”

UDG holds a 36,000-hectare economic land concession to develop a huge resort area and several planned industrial projects. Ly Teuk Hay, who villagers and advocates said ordered the trucks to fill the road since December 26, could not be reached for comment.