Zambians riot after miners shot

wsj.com

Monday,October 18, 2010

Zambian locals rioted and blocked a road leading to Chinese-owned Collum Coal Mine Ltd. on Saturday to protest the shooting of at least 11 miners, allegedly by Chinese supervisors during a protest over low wages, police officials said Sunday.

On Friday, miners at Collum Coal Mine, in the Sinazongwe District of southern Zambia, demonstrated against low pay and poor working conditions. Gunshots followed, allegedly fired by two Chinese supervisors, wounding 11 miners, two of them critically, according to Zambian police and government officials. They were taken to a hospital.

Zambian police arrested the two Chinese supervisors allegedly involved. No charges have been filed. They are expected to appear in court the coming week.

Oliver Pelete, the district commissioner, said he met with officials from the Chinese embassy on Sunday to discuss the incident and conditions at the mine. He said the officials had apologized for the incident.

An embassy representative couldn’t be reached on Sunday to confirm the apology or offer any details of the shooting.

« We will sit down to look at the conditions for the miners [together]…to ensure that all conditions are according to the laws of the country so we won’t have any more conflicts, » Mr. Pelete said.

Reached by phone Sunday, Danny Law, a marketing manager at the mine, called the incident « an accident, » and said only that two Chinese supervisors were attacked.

« The miners attacked the employees, » he said. « They had no other choice but to shoot in the air. Several people were wounded, but it’s not serious. » He said the company would pay for their hospital bills.

Mr. Law said he didn’t know why the miners had attacked their supervisors, but said that some of the miners were « misguided, » though he didn’t elaborate. « The truth will come out very soon, » he said.

Local police said they recorded statements from the two Chinese supervisors allegedly involved.

The incident once again has heightened tensions between Chinese managers and local miners in this copper-rich southern African nation. China, hungry for resources to feed its booming economy, has invested across the continent in oil and mineral extraction. In Zambia, China’ primary interest is copper.

Like other impoverished governments in sub-Saharan Africa, Zambian officials have welcomed Chinese companies and their foreign currency. But local miners have for years protested what they say are insufficient wages and unsafe working conditions at Chinese-run mines. That has led to clashes between miners and their supervisors. Zambia’s lead opposition party has charged the government with allowing Chinese investors to operate above the law.

Rayford Mbulu, the president of the Miners Union of Zambia, said that the managers flouted Zambian law by carrying firearms to the mine. « We don’t care what investments the Chinese are bringing into the country, » he said. « We cannot allow them to shoot miners like that. »

According to union officials, workers at Collum Coal Mine are among the lowest-paid miners in Zambia, with some getting as little as $70 a month. Since last year, the workers have been pressing management for a pay raise and for improved working conditions.

讚比亞礦工據稱遭中國監工槍擊 引發騷亂

chinese.wsj.com

2010年10月18日

警方週日說﹐讚比亞當地居民週六發生騷亂﹐封堵了一條通往由中國人所有的科藍煤礦 (Collum Coal Mine Ltd.) 的道路﹐以抗議據稱是中國監工在工人們反對工資過低的抗議活動中至少向11名礦工開槍射擊

上週五﹐位於讚比亞南部錫納宗圭區的科藍煤礦的礦工舉行示威﹐抗議低薪酬和糟糕的工作條件。據讚比亞警方和政府官員說﹐隨後發生了槍擊﹐據稱是兩名中國監工開的火﹐造成11名礦工受傷﹐其中兩名傷勢嚴重。他們已被送往醫院。

讚比亞警方逮捕了兩名據稱與槍擊有關的中國監工。目前還沒有提起指控。他們可能將在本週出庭。

錫納宗圭區警察局長皮力特(Oliver Pelete)說﹐他週日會見了中國大使館的官員﹐對此次事件及礦場的條件進行了討論。他說﹐中國官員已就此事道歉。

記者週日無法聯繫到使館代表確認致歉事宜或是提供有關槍擊的任何細節。

皮力特說﹐（同時）我們將檢查礦工們的工作條件. . .確保所有條件都符合國家法律﹐以此避免再度發生沖突事件。

該礦場的市場經理丹尼(Danny Law)週日在電話中將此事稱作“一場意外”﹐說只有那兩名中國監工受到了襲擊。

他說﹐礦工們襲擊了雇員﹐他們別無它法只有對空開槍。有一些人受傷了﹐但傷勢不重。他說公司將承擔他們的醫療費用。

他還說﹐他不知道礦工們為何要襲擊他們的監工﹐只是說有些礦工被誤導了﹐但他並未詳述。他說﹐很快就會真相大白。

當地警方說﹐他們為據稱捲入槍擊事件的兩名中國監工錄了口供。

這一事件再次暴露出在這個銅儲量豐富的非洲南部國家中方管理人員與當地礦工之間的矛盾。由於急切渴望獲得資源來為其繁榮發展的經濟提供後盾﹐中國在石油和採礦領域對非洲大陸進行了廣泛的投資。在讚比亞﹐中國的首要興趣是銅。

與撒哈拉以南的其他貧窮國家政府一樣﹐讚比亞官員歡迎中國企業和他們帶來的外資。但數年來﹐當地礦工一直在抗議據稱中國礦場所提供的微薄的工資水平以及缺乏安全保障的工作環境。這在礦工和監工之間引發了沖突。讚比亞主要反對黨曾指控政府允許中國投資者僭越法律。

讚比亞礦工工會主席馬布魯(Rayford Mbulu)說﹐管理人員攜帶武器進入礦區是對讚比亞法律的蔑視。他說﹐我們不在乎中國人給讚比亞帶來了什麼樣的投資﹐我們不能允許他們像這樣射擊礦工。

據工會官員﹐科藍煤礦工人的工資在讚比亞礦工中屬於水平最低的一類﹐有些人的月薪只有70美元。工人們從去年開始向管理層施壓﹐要求加薪並改善工作環境。

Zambia to charge Chinese mine bosses over shooting

AFP

17 10 2010

LUSAKA — Zambian police said Sunday managers at a Chinese-run coal mine who shot at workers protesting poor working conditions will be charged with attempted murder.

Twelve workers at Collum Coal Mine in the southern town of Sinazongwe were injured on Friday when mainly Chinese managers fired randomly at the protesting workers.

« The managers are likely to be charged with attempted murder and this may be on Monday or Tuesday, » inspector general of police Francis Kabonde told journalists.

« A warn and caution statement has already been recorded and what should be realised is that there is no one above the law, as it had been portrayed by some people, » Kabonde said.

The incident has raised a political storm, with opposition leader Michael Sata of the Patriotic Front accusing the Chinese in the country of being untouchable because they are funding the ruling party ahead of next year’s elections.

« What do you expect the government to do with the Chinese? They are their friends and they constantly fund them, » Sata told AFP.

Investment from China has been on the rise Zambia, with several copper and coal mines bought by Chinese firms.

Zambia: Sinazongwe residents in fury after mine shooting

lusakatimes.com

Saturday, October 16, 2010

RELATIVES of the 11 miners who were yesterday shot and injured by Chinese nationals at the Collum Coal Mine in Sinazongwe district of Southern Province have threatened to take the law into their own hands if police hesitate to arrest the culprits.

And United Party for National Development (UPND) director of logistics Sibote Sibote has urged government to immediately launch an investigation into the shooting incident and take action against the management of the company.

According to Radio Phoenix, one of the relatives of the victims, Mr Hamiyanze expressed anger at the Chinese nationals and warned that the relatives to the victims would resort to ‘other means’ if government delayed to act.

“Some of those miners who were shot are my relative and I feel sad and angry to see this… what is happening in our country, Just when we were witnessing the rescue of trapped miners in Chile, here in Zambia the miners are being shot by their own management.”

“The situation is tense here in Sinazonge, residents and my fellow victims’ relatives are angry with this and we are calling on the government to arrest these (Chinese) people before residents here resort to other means,” Hamayanze said. And Mr. Sibote told Radio Phoenix that the government must take action against management at the Collum Coal Mine immediately.

File picture: Collum Coal Mine workers

He called for a police investigation into the matter and ensure that culprits are brought to book.
Eleven miners including one onlooker are nursing serious wounds in Maamba Hospital after being shot by Chinese nationals at the Coal mine yesterday.

Sinazongwe District Commissioner Oliver Pelete confirmed that the 11 victims were shot while they were presenting their grievances of poor working conditions to Chinese Management.

The DC who escorted the injured miners to Hospital yesterday said two of the miners were in critical condition. The 11 injured miners include, Simon Simwete 28, Abby Siameba 25, Virason Mwanamusiya 24, Madinda Siamubotu 27, Wisbone Simukonda 25, Boston Munakazela 21, Wallen Muntanga 28 and Humphrey Sinuka 24.

Others are, Brighton Sianfuno 21, Bowas Syapwaya 21, and Vincent Chengele 20.

In January this year, government closed down the Chinese owned mine following its managements failure to address the poor sanitary conditions at the mine which led to an outbreak of Cholera and was reopened three weeks later.

In April 2009, 250 workers were laid off by the Mine’s management on grounds that the market for coal was shrinking.

Informations

Sinazongwe is a town in the Southern Province of Zambia, lying on the north shore of Lake Kariba. It was constructed in the 1950s as a local administrative centre, while its main industry now is kapenta fishing. It is also home to a lighthouse and an airstrip, while ferries sail to Chete Island.

~ par Alain Bertho sur 18 octobre 2010.

Publié dans émeutes, riots, 暴防