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Protesters, riot police battle at APEC
 Anti-American protesters and riot police fought pitched battles in the streets of this southern port city as thousands of people rallied against the APEC summit. Violence erupted as police barricaded roads and trained water cannon on activists trying to reach Busan's BEXCO convention centre where US President George W. Bush and 20 other Asia-Pacific leaders were meeting. Some 300 angry demonstrators armed with bamboo sticks and metal pipes burned an effigy of Bush with the slogan "No APEC, No Bush" attached to it along with rubber tyres.Police reinforcements were drafted in as the activists attempted to storm through barricades and at least two protesters were injured including one who was carried away unconscious. But calm returned after police using riot shields managed to beat back the protestors. Several hours earlier police used water cannon to stop another group of protesters forcing their way onto a bridge 300 metres (yards) further up the Suyeong River that runs past the APEC convention centre. The demonstrators, mainly farmers, took to the streets of Busan on Friday chanting anti-US slogans and waving colourful banners reading "No APEC, No Bush" and "Terrorist Bush Go Home". Violence flared early on when a group of around 100 frustrated protesters broke away from the main anti-APEC demonstration and tried to punch through police lines around one kilometre (0.6 miles) from the summit venue. Police responded by firing bursts from three water cannons as some demonstrators armed themselves with wooden sticks and steel pipes. Earlier police said they expected a crowd of up to 30,000, and used steel barriers and cargo containers to block off roads around the summit venue. Riot police in full body armour wielding clubs were stationed at key junctions. Protesters said they were angry at the South Korean government's plans to open its rice market to cheap foreign imports, a measure backed by the free-trade APEC forum as well as the World Trade Organisation (WTO). Posted by: Fred 2005-11-19 |
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