Police move to raid SSangyong Motor's plant to evict protesting workers

SEOUL, July 11 (Yonhap) -- Police, using forklifts, removed steel containers and
other barricades Saturday that blocked entrances to the troubled Ssangyong Motor
Co.'s plant where hundreds of laid-off workers have been staging a protest sit-in
for more than 50 days.
Police officials said they were planning to raid the plant in Pyeongtake, 70
kilometers south of Seoul, presumably on early Sunday, to evict an estimated 600
protesters holed up there since May 22.
"We plan to gain full control of the plant and forcefully disperse the workers,"
one police officer said, requesting anonymity.
Police said they arrested two workers who violently protested the police move to
take control of four main gates leading to the sprawling plant.
As part of a court-ordered restructuring, the nation's smallest automaker laid
off about 970 workers to stay afloat. Those laid-off worker resisted by
barricading themselves inside the plant.
pbr@yna.co.kr
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