Residents of Chinese city protest for third day over possible plans to build nuclear fuel reprocessing centre

Residents of a city north of Shanghai have protested for a third day against possible plans to build a nuclear fuel reprocessing centre, a protester and a city employee said on Tuesday, as police announced a ban on public gatherings.

The protests in Lianyungang in Jiangsu reflect public unease about the safety of mainland China’s state-owned nuclear industry and growing willingness to oppose nuclear, chemical and other industrial projects.

The city government responded to the weekend demonstrations in a downtown square with an announcement that plans for the nuclear project were in early stages and no location had been confirmed.

Despite that, protesters gathered again Monday, according to a city hall employee who would give only his surname, Zhang, and a man who gave his surname as Wang. Wang said he took part in one weekend protest and witnessed others.

About a dozen people who threw stones on Monday were detained by police, according to Wang. He said local residents were discussing plans for possible additional protests.

“We don’t want this project,” Wang said. “We worry about whether there will be a leak and whether the technology is good enough to protect people’s health.”