Mob rampages steel plant

Mob rampages steel plant

MAKASSAR, South Sulawesi: An angry mob attacked a steel plant
in Makassar, South Sulawesi, on Tuesday, which they blamed for
polluting their neighborhood.

The attack on PT Bawaraja took place following an explosion at
the factory earlier in the morning, which prompted at least 200
residents to throng the compound.

The rioters damaged the factory's windows, its office
equipment and cars.

Baco, chief of the factory's security guards, said the attack
was launched suddenly, when about 100 employees were working at
the rear of the plant, so that nothing could be done to prevent
it.

He admitted that local residents had protested several times
against the plant's operation and for the pollution it produced.

"We guarantee that there is no pollution because we have waste
processing facilities and high chimneys," Baco claimed.

Commenting on the explosion that triggered the attack, he said
it came from the plant's iron processing residue dump, which
might have resulted from a water spill, but added that it was
harmless. --JP