Protests against harmful waste from solar panel plant in China

BEIJING (Scrap Monster): Hundreds of villagers in China's eastern Zhejiang Province are protesting against the harmful wastes from a solar panel manufacturer, prompting authorities to deploy police outside the factory. 

Over 500 people from Hongxiao Village gathered outside Zhejiang Jinko Solar factory in Haining city on Thursday night, demanding explanation on the death of a large swath of fish in a nearby river last month, local officials said. 

Angry protesters stormed the factory compound, overturned eight company vehicles, and destroyed the offices before police came to disperse the crowd.

The protest continued on the two following nights with reports of scuffle, the officials said. 

Chen Hongming, a deputy head of Haining's environmental protection bureau, said the factory's waste disposal had failed the pollution tests since April, official Xinhua news agency reported. 

The environmental watchdog had warned the factory but it had not effectively controlled the pollution, Chen added. 

The company is a subsidiary of Hong Kong-invested JinkoSolar Holding, listed on the New York Stock Exchange since 2010. 

The company produces mono- and multi-crystalline photovoltaics panels,cells, and wafers, and sells the solar products to the world. It employs more than 10,000 people in two factories in east China, according to the company website. 

There was no immediate comment from the company on the incident. 

Protests over pollution concerns have spawned across China over the past few years. 

In August, a petrochemical plant in northern city of Dalian was shut down after a dozen thousand residents took to streets to demand its relocation over concerns of potential toxic chemical leaks. 

A similar massive protest in 2007 forced the authorities in southeastern city of Xiamen to scrap a plan to build the similar petrochemical plant.