Hundreds of Vietnamese villagers have ransacked the site of a proposed titanium mine that they fear will pollute the soil and ground water, local officials and media reports said Friday.
More than 300 protesters caused over 12,000 dollars in damage when they destroyed machinery and pipelines at the site near the seaside Tam Tien commune in central Quang Nam province last Sunday.
Developers had already cut down a 15-hectare (37 acre) stretch of forest that had protected the nearby villages from wind and sand, said an official, confirming an online report by the Thanh Nien newspaper.
Local officials told AFP the Chu Lai management board was planning to first mine the area for titanium — a metal used in light alloys for aircraft, automobiles and sporting goods — and to later build a tourist resort there.
"The company hasn't done anything yet, they are just carrying out preparatory work," said Nguyen Tien, chairman of the Nui Thanh district people's committee, adding that the villagers had "misunderstood" the plan.
