Chinese state media say six people have been given jail terms for their parts in a three-day riot in southern Guangdong province last month.

The official Xinhua news agency said Tuesday the sentences ranged from nine months to three and a half years. They were handed down a day earlier by the People's Court in Zengcheng City.

Hundreds of migrant factory workers took part in the riot, which was sparked by complaints that security forces had mistreated a street vendor and his pregnant wife in the fast-growing industrial hub. It was one in a series of recent riots across China that have called attention to simmering discontent over inflation, corruption and other social ills.

Xinhua said the longest jail terms were given to two men who smashed and set fire to several police vehicles in the town of Xintang, where the trouble began. It said all the suspects confessed their crimes and pleaded guilty.

The agency quoted police saying last week that a total of 11 people were charged in connection with the riots. It said several officials, including the town chief and the secretary of the local Communist Party committee, have been removed from their posts.