Pollution and land expropriation inspire villagers to demonstrate; three deaths reported

Epoch Times
By Chen Yilian
Jul 16, 2010

Villagers are seen on their way to petition the local officials. (Provided by Chinese blogger)
A local aluminum company used violence to try to suppress a protest inspired by road construction that had damaged a nearby village, pollution, and local officials’ efforts to take away the villagers’ land and give it to the company. Violence was met by violence, and three individuals employed by the company are reported to have died.

Villagers are seen on their way to petition the local officials. (Provided by Chinese blogger)

Villagers in Jingxi County of Guangxi Province in southern China initially sought through a large-scale protest on July 11 to halt the construction of a road by Guangxi Xinfah Aluminum, a major local enterprise, and to use the opportunity to complain to members of the aluminum company about its pollution.

Protesters had carried a banner reading, “Give me back my home, give me back my river.”

According to a local resident, the aluminum company has caused serious damage to the local environment that has left villagers with no drinking water or water for irrigation for a long time.
Xinfah Aluminum reacted to the protest by bringing 300 workers, who used water hoses and wooden sticks to attack the villagers. According to the villagers, several villagers were injured by the workers’ attack.

The villagers fought back by surrounding Xinfah Aluminum and attacking with rocks and homemade bombs.

According to internet postings, three Xinfah Aluminum migrant workers from Shandong Province were dead, a dozen were wounded, and some machines were damaged.    more …