19-10-10, 07:38 PM
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Join Date: Jun 2009
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Zambian miners shot by Chinese managers
Zambian miners shot by Chinese managers - Telegraph
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Quote:
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Police said that the Chinese executives opened fire on workers protesting against poor pay and conditions at the Collum coal mine in the southern Sinazongwe province on Friday.
Eleven people were admitted to hospital with wounds to the stomachs, hands and legs, and two are understood to remain in a critical condition.
A Foreign Ministry official in Beijing said that the shooting was a "mistake" but the incident has fuelled demands to curb China's overwheening position in mine investments.
The Patriotic Front, a leading opposition party, is campaigning for elections next year on platform of restricting Chinese investment until conditions are improved.
"We know we can't be protected by this government because it has been heavily corrupted by the Chinese for the 2011 elections and the current by-elections," said Michel Sata, the PF's leader nicknamed King Cobra for his combatative stance.
Madinda Siamubotu, a victim of the shooting said the miners had been told that they would not be paid for days when they had been ordered to stop mining because enough coal had been produced.
He said that when workers gathered outside the gates of the mine to protest at the unexpected pay cut, the managers walked out of their offices with shotguns and opened fire.
A witness to the incident said miners had thrown rocks before the shooting started.
Mineworkers Union of Zambia (MUZ) president Rayford Mbulu said the latest incident illustrated the reckless disregard for employee at Chinese facilities.
"We don't care what investments people bring in the country," he said. "Workers should be protected.
We want to be informed that these suspects have been brought to book. They should leave our country."
Xiao Li Shan, 48, and Wu Jiu Hua, 46, both supervisors at the Collum Coal Mine, appeared briefly in court yesterday charged with attempted murder and were remanded in custody.
China invested more than £250m in its mining industry last year, as well as providing funds to improve the country's infrastructure. and reportedly helped the ruling party to get re-elected.
Its investment in Zambia is replicated all over Africa, where leaders have lauded China for its "no strings attached" approach to aid and investment.
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