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Tuesday, July 31, 2007

Environmental Protest at Chinese Brewery Turns Violent

The Information Center for Human Rights and Democracy (ICHRD), a Hong Kong-based group that is one of the most reliable sources regarding human rights inside communist China, says Chinese police and environmental protesters clashed at a brewery in Yuanshi over the weekend. The protesters claim the brewery, in Sichuan province, is contaminating drinking water and water used for farm irrigation.

According to the ICHRD, seven protesters were taken into custody by the People’s Armed Police and 20 others were injured. The brewery is run by China Resources Breweries Co., a state-run company that has links to SABMiller. Local citizens claim the brewery dumped untreated waste water into a river.

While China is going through rapid industrialization, there have been a number of recent protests by people concerned about the environmental impact of factories and chemical plants. Environmental laws in China are decades behind western regulations when it comes to things like waste water treatment and air emissions.

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