Chinese protesters clash with police over power plant
People protesting against the building of a coal-fired power plant in a southern Chinese town threw bricks at police who fired volleys of teargas and detained dozens in the country's latest environmental dispute, residents say. At least 1,000 people in Yinggehai, on China's Hainan island, began several days of protests last week after construction resumed on the plant, which had been halted by earlier demonstrations.
Dozens had been injured and many were detained by police, who have put the town under strict surveillance, residents said on Monday. Police and local officials declined to comment. "They fired teargas to disperse the crowds in the past few days," said a resident who gave only his surname, Xian, because he did not want to be identified by authorities. "We don't want a power plant here that will cause serious pollution," he said.
Three decades of rapid economic expansion in China have come at an environmental price, and residents have become increasingly outspoken about pollution in their backyards. In July, a southern town in Sichuan province scrapped plans for a copper plant after thousands clashed with police, and another community in eastern Jiangsu province dropped plans for a waste water plant after similar demonstrations.
The protests are especially sensitive because they come ahead of next month's change in China's leadership, who will have to balance a push for economic growth with maintaining public stability. Meanwhile, local leaders must balance their desire to attract industry with residents who do not want it in their neighbourhoods. In Yinggehai, a round of protests took place in April when the plant project was first announced. Authorities then moved the project to another Hainan town, but it drew strong opposition there and officials returned to their original plan, Xian said.
Schools in Yinggehai, a town of 18,000 people, have been closed since Thursday, said another resident who lives in Shenzhen but is in regular contact with friends and family in his home town. Clashes between brick-wielding residents and police armed with batons broke out after officers detained some of the protesters and fired teargas canisters, said the 26-year-old man, who gave only his surname, Lin.. Read more:
