Chinese Workers Torch Factory Buildings, Police Cars In Pollution Protest

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BEIJING, China (Reuters) -- Chinese protesters set fire to factory buildings and police cars in a clash sparked by toxic waste, police and residents said on Monday, the latest illustration of a growing wave of public dissent.

Saturday's violence at the Tian Neng Battery Co. was also the third protest in the eastern province of Zhejiang in recent months caused by pollution, highlighting the environmental price of China's rise to become the world's seventh-largest economy. "It's very serious. There was a clash between protesters and the police. Some people were injured," said an employee of the post office in the county of Meishan who declined to be identified.

"Some children died of lead pollution and the demonstration might have been initiated by the parents." Calls to the factory went unanswered and an official at the county government said he had not heard of any violence. But a police officer in Meishan acknowledged there had been a protest, saying police had rushed to the scene to maintain order. She refused to give further details.

Residents said children were falling ill from high levels of lead that had poisoned water and vegetables in several villages in the area. "A lot of children in our area have too much lead in their bodies and it will greatly affect their growth," said a receptionist at a Meishan hotel surnamed Han. "People burnt the factory. The office building, workshops, and the factory's products were all set on fire," she said. Four police cars had also been set alight, she said, adding there was heavy security presence in the area and police were rounding up suspects.

EDIT

http://edition.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/asiapcf/08/22/china.stability.reut/