Dozens hurt in big Hainan township power plant pollution protest
Police arrest more than 100 demonstrators as thousands hit streets over pollution fears
Thousands of residents in the coastal town of Yinggehai, Hainan, demonstrated at the weekend against plans to build a large power plant nearby, with dozens injured and more than 100 detained by police, according to witnesses.
Several hundred set off for the tourist resort of Sanya on Friday and Saturday and blocked a bridge next to the municipal government offices, after local officials refused to see them.
In Yinggehai, more than 1,000 armed police and dozens of police vehicles arrived in the town Friday night. Officers used tear gas to disperse the crowds, who stormed government buildings and fought back using bricks and stones, witnesses said.
The protest was the latest since January against government plans to build a coal-fired power plant on the town's doorstep.
As well as surrounding Yinggehai's government office on Friday and Saturday, demonstrators also blocked some central areas in Sanya, one of the nation's most popular tourist destinations, known for its beaches and expensive property.
The demonstrations are among the latest featuring mainland residents standing up to oppose feared or actual environmental pollution. In July, tens of thousands of people in Shifang, Sichuan, clashed with police, resulting in plans for a proposed copper plant being scrapped.
