Hundreds protest planned power plant again in S. China
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Xinhua, December 21, 2011
Hundreds of disgruntled villagers in Guangdong province gathered again Wednesday to protest a planned power plant over pollution concerns, one day after a similar protest was dispersed by police.
The villagers, mostly youths, from the fishing township of Haimen in Shantou City, gathered at noon near a toll gate on an expressway linking the cities of Shenzhen and Shantou.
The expressway was partially blocked by police, who only allowed one side for traffic.
Villagers from Haimen began gathering Tuesday morning at the government seat, then moved to the toll gate at noon, blocking traffic and demanding compensation.
The protests were triggered by the planned expansion of the coal-fired power plant by Fengsheng Electricity Investment Company.
The villagers complained that the current power plant had led to a rise in the number of cancer patients, the deterioration of the environment and a drop in fishing hauls.
One villager suffered minor injures at Tuesday's gathering, said Xie Zesheng, an anti-corruption official with the Shantou municipal government, in response to rumors that villagers were beaten and injured.
But he did not elaborate on how the villager was injured.
The crowd left the expressway at about 5 p.m. Tuesday after the local government promised to suspend the plan and report the situation to higher authorities.
There were no reports of conflicts or casualties in Wednesday's protest.
The Shantou municipal government required the local environmental protection agency to look into the pollution situation in regards to the power plant.
Also on Wednesday, villagers of Wukan, of the same province, dismounted barriers set up at the village entrance after a provincial work team promised to restore stability to the village.
On Sept. 21 and 22, some villagers in Wukan vented their anger against village authorities over issues related to land use, financing and the election of local officials.
Wukan villagers gathered again on Dec. 11 after Xue Jinbo, who was suspected of organizing the demonstration in November, died in police custody.
The work team said the major demands of the Wukan villagers were reasonable, and there were some mistakes made by local officials.
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