Hundreds of villagers protest lead poisoning in Fujian

(TibetanReview.net, Sep18, 2009) Hundreds of residents in Jiaoyang Township of Shanghang County in Fujian Province staged a protest in front of their local government Sep 17 afternoon while hundreds of students stayed away from school due to suspected lead poisoning from a nearby battery factory, reported China’s official Xinhua news agency Sep 17. It said that the villagers had blocked a highway for several hours in the morning.

The protest took place after at least four of the 72 children tested were found to have excessive levels of lead in their blood, which the villagers believed was caused by pollution from the local Huaqiang Battery Factory. The report said the fear of lead poisoning led to 136 students being absent from the township’s Central Primary School and 140 others from the local kindergarten on Sep 17, with more absentees the day before.

The report said officials from the Longyan City and Shanghang County governments went to the township Sep 17 to talk with the villagers. However, the two sides failed to reach an agreement.

Chinese President Hu Jintao’s promise of a "harmonious society" has recently been tested by rising tension over shrinking jobs, long-standing anger over corruption, land seizures and a series of often violent pollution protests.