10,000 people were walking on the street to protest the relocation of the PX project from Xiamen to Zhangzhou. In order to protest the investment relocation of the PX (paraxylene) project from Xiamen to the Gulei peninsula in Zhangzhou, 10000 people from Zhangzhou, Fujian were walking and demonstrating on the streets on 29th, Feburary. During the demonstrating, there were more than 10 people injured through the conflicts. To avoid the worsening situation, the local government asked all the students to go back to schools and all the government officials to go to work on Saturday and Sunday. The activity had been still lasting for 3 days. At the moment, the local government assigned a lot of fly cops to supervise the local people. The PX project is about setting up a paraxylene chemical plant invested by a Taiwanese company in Fu Jian province. Last year, that project was cancelled because of the strong opposition by the people in Xiamen. However, the Fu Jian local government decided to move it to the Gulei Peninsula in Zhangzhou. This caused the dissatisfaction of the local people again. On 29th February, the local people copied the way used by the people from Xiamen to pass the message of "Walk" and walked onto the street to protest it. On of the residents in Zhangzhou said, there were over 10000 people walking on the street on 29th February. The police were beating the people with electric batons. It is said that the police had already killed one person. All the students and government officials were controlled. They were asked to go to school or work on weekends. There are still many fly cops outside. Zhangzhou resident: "there are tens of thousands people, more than 10,000 people there. The police are beating them with electric batons. And more than 10 people were injured. The students were controlled. But some of them still sneaked out to join the procession. But the government officials were controlled so they couldn't come out." It is known that the protesting activity had lasted for 3 days from February 29th to 2nd March. The reporter called the county government and the officials said they had to work two days during the weekend. Government official: "we're working as normal days. We are even working at night." Reporter: "Even on Saturday and Sunday? You have to work during the weekend holidays this week?" Government official: "Yes." There are about 350,000 people in Zhangpu county, Pulei Peninsula and Dongshan Island. It has very good landscapes. Fisheries and tourism are the two main economic pillars of the local people. Mr Chen, a local resident said: If they put this kind of project on our county, the whole tourism will be severely affected. Also, the fishery will be destroyed because nobody will eat the fish from this area. So if it exists, none of us will give up protesting. The local government blocked the message here and the reporters dare not to come and interview us. NTDTV, CHINA NEWS

• published: 05 Mar 2008
• views: 1238