Carrying signs saying: "We are victims of the quake" and "We demand compensation," the villagers from Sleman, a district devastated by a massive earthquake in May, attacked the office, Metro TV said.

Footage showed enraged residents throwing chairs and upending tables as they yelled at government officials in the grounds of the Sleman district head's office.

A village head Heru Yuli Susanto said demonstrators were angry about reports that only villagers whose houses had been seriously damaged or totally destroyed would receive compensation, state-run Antara news agency reported.

"People feel this is not fair," he said.

Another demonstrator, Feri, said residents in his village of Tegaltirto were angered by reports that just over half would receive government aid and so they had agreed to turn it down.

"In the Tegaltirto area there are 1,200 people but the compensation will only be given to around 700 people. So we won't accept this aid until there is a decision that all the victims can receive compensation," he reportedly said.

Wahyu, a Sleman official, told AFP the protestors were meeting with the vice mayor Friday afternoon to have their "misunderstanding" of the aid allocations explained.