Several villagers arrested after landfill protests

Police took six villagers into custody after they participated in a protest over a plan to build a new landfill near a crucial drinking water source in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

The villagers in Fuxing village, Guanyang county, have tried to kill the landfill plan for nearly a year. They have staged protests since December and tried to block construction workers from entering the village.

Liu Zhengjiao, a villager, told the Global Times Monday that 14 villagers, including her husband, were hauled away in early June. Among them, two villagers were released by the re-education through labor center on July 13. Some of those arrested were informed by police about a month later that they had disturbed public order.

"The landfill will pollute the only water source for us, which we and our cattle and crops have used for years," Liu said.

The county government approved the landfill project last August, China Economic Times reported Monday.

The villagers said the landfill is located in a valley, which is the source of a river that crosses the village. They fear that their water may be polluted.

"All the villagers depend on the water from there," a villager told the newspaper.

Wang Yuncui, another villager, said his family is already facing difficulties over the plan. "My son is preparing to hold a wedding this year. However, his fiancé refused to come to our village after hearing about the landfill," Wang said.

Wang Mingyong, 68, said the village committee has not organized a meeting to solicit their views.

The report said about 600 policemen and armed forces attempted to enter the village and tried to safeguard the construction crew on June 1. However, 100 elderly men and women fell to their knees and tried to block them.

Police took away Mo Jian 10 days later. Five police officers who went to arrest Mo were surrounded by vil-lagers who questioned the decision. More than 200 officers used tear gas to rescue the five officers.

"They even use bricks and wooden stools to attack the law enforcers," Fan Kejun, vice governor of the county, was quoted as saying.

Yang Linfa, the village's Party secretary, admitted they never held a public meeting to discuss the landfill plan.

"We only held a meeting with 63 Party members, and they all agreed," Yang told the newspaper.

By Huang Jingjing, Global Times