Twelve local officials, including two vice-mayors of Pingdu, were reprimanded over the attack.

"The punishments are too light," Li Chongnuan, one of the injured men, was quoted as saying by The Mirror, an evening newspaper.

The 65-year-old said he has not received any compensation, and suffers continual pain from the injuries to his hands and face.

Wang Xixin, a professor specializing in administrative law at Peking University, said conflicts over land occur frequently across the country. However, the use of arson makes the Pingdu case extremely unusual.

"There is no basic trust between village committees and villagers, and our current laws do not clarify how land expropriation compensation should be allocated," Wang added

Xinhua contributed to this story.

Contact the writer at huqing@chinadaily.com.cn