Four people were reported killed and dozens injured as police attacked protestors in Maoming, Guangdong who were demonstrating against the setting up of a petrochemical plant in the city on March 30.
Revolution News reports: The paramilitary police have sealed highways. All the media vans were blocked from entering the city. The city is tightly sealed. We Maoming people now have no one to reply upon but ourselves. All thats left now is a road to death. For our offspring, it is all worth it. The people of Maoming will outnumber the police. We have to save ourselves and kick the PX project out of Maoming.
The news service said that photographs uploaded to Weibo by several netizens show several cars overturned and set on fire. Protesters say the PX project site should be moved out of the city’s downtown core and located beyond the city center’s 100 kilometre radius.
On Monday, the Maoming Daily, a municipal government mouthpiece, carried a lengthy article on its front-page praising the PX project, describing paraxylene as “an important element for a happy life”.
Revolution News says a series of street protests against petrochemical plants have occurred in several Chinese cities in recent years after two previous popular campaigns proved successful in dissuading officials from approving the highly controversial petrochemical plants.
