The Shifang city government in Southwest China's Sichuan Province is preparing to implement measures aimed at calming local residents as mass protests against a controversial refinery project, which has been halted, begin to wane.

"The next step is to pacify the public and listen to their opinions on the government's work besides helping treat those injured during the confrontations," Chen Lin, a deputy publicity director of the Shifang City Committee of the Communist Party of China, told the Global Times Wednesday.

Chen said the demonstrators cleared away after the government announced Tuesday that the construction plan had been aborted, adding that social order is back to normal.

A total of 21 protesters were released on Tuesday night while another six are still under detention, the information office of the city government said Wednesday.

Three of them face criminal charges of engaging in violence and overturning police cars in Hongda square, while another three, who threw objects including flowerpots, bricks and stones at police officers, are under administrative detention, according to the official statement.

It also urged the public to voice their appeals in a legal and reasonable way to maintain social stability.

A number of locals took to the streets on Monday and Tuesday in a protest against the construction of a plant designed to refine molybdenum and copper, citing environmental and health concerns.

The two-day protests caused injuries to both police officers and some demonstrators after they escalated into confrontations. Many residents were still incensed at the incident.

Ma Lan, a 24-year-old saleswoman in Shifang, told the Global Times that she felt hurt that the government used tear gas and canisters against them as if they were "rioters."

"We admit that the clash was extreme," said Chen, "but the police were acting legally as they were under attack and believed it was the way to avoid more chaos by taking special measures against certain people."

He added there had been collateral damage as "it was too crowded."

Some of those injured during the violence are still in hospital for treatment. A 58-year-old man whose lung was punctured by a canister explosion is now in stable condition and remains in intensive care.

Xia Jun, a Beijing-based lawyer specializing in environmental issues, told the Global Times that the incident highlighted local governments' ignoring public opinion while initiating major projects, saying such clashes could have been avoided by following legal procedures.

Xia called for the public to seek help through legal means as mass demonstrations were very dangerous.

"But it's understandable that the residents would take extreme actions since it's not easy to win a case on environmental issues," he said.

Zhang Yiwu, a professor at Peking University, said that both the public and government should learn to use rational negotiation when urban planning leads to safety concerns.

"People should realize that acting violently is not an effective way to express their opinions," Zhang said, "Society should respect rational ways to express their demands and create a healthy environment for communication."