Ten arrested over factory protest

26 March 2020
Ten arrested over factory protest
(File) Villagers protesting. Photo: Mizzima

Myanmar police fired their guns during a raid on a village in Mandalay region Wednesday and arrested more than 10 residents who had protested against a Chinese-backed coal-powered cement factory, RFA reported.

One villager was shot in the leg and several police were injured by stones and slingshots when officers forcibly entered Aungthabyae village in Patheingyi township to arrest the residents, half of whom are minors.

Severla Aungthabyae residents are being pursued by police for their involvement in a clash with officers and employees of the Alpha Cement Plant during a May 2019 protest. The villagers had blocked factory vehicles from entering the area and demanded compensation for land they say they lost when an 18-foot-wide road was built as part of the construction work at the plant.