Villagers charged in power plant row

Four protesters die in Chittagong police operation

CHITTAGONG // Bangladesh police yesterday charged thousands of villagers with vandalism and assault after demonstrations against a Chinese-backed power plant in which four protesters were shot and killed by police.

Dozens more protesters were wounded when police opened fire on Monday in the village of Gandamara on the south-east coast where twin power plants are to be built in a US$2.4 billion (Dh8.8bn) project backed by two Chinese companies.

The villagers said their protests were peaceful but police said 11 officers were hurt, including one who was shot in the head.

They arrested at least three villagers over the violence.

“We’ve filed cases against about 3,200 people for the violence,” said the local police chief, Swapan Kumar.

“We’ve identified 57 of them, but the rest are unnamed.”

Mr Kumar said local people oppose the power plants because they fear the resulting pollution would damage the environment and force them from their homes.

The villagers had been holding peaceful protests for days after S Alam Group, the Bangladeshi conglomerate behind the project, began levelling farmland in preparation for building the plants.

Villagers fear the cases registered by police could give authorities extra powers to harass or detain anyone protesting against the project.

“Police will now use their power indiscriminately against any villager who speaks against the plants,” said a schoolteacher who lives in the village.

Hundreds of villagers staged further protests against the plant yesterday, demanding justice for the four victims.

Local media reports said the group planned to build two coal-fired power plants on the site on the edge of the Bay of Bengal, with the capacity to produce 1,224 megawatts.

The two Chinese firms – Sepco III Electric Power and HTG – are financing $1.75bn of the plants’ estimated cost, the Daily Star newspaper said.

Authorities in Chittagong district, where the site is located, have ordered an investigation into the clashes.

They came after thousands of people demonstrated last month against plans to build massive coal- fired power plants on the edge of the Sundarbans, the world’s largest mangrove forest.

Experts said the power stations would cause major damage to the delicate ecosystem of the area, home to endangered Bengal tigers and Ganges dolphins.