8 injured as standoff continues at Ssangyong plant

(ATTN: UPDATES throughout with injuries, union spokesman's quote, details; CHANGES
headline)
PYEONGTAEK, South Korea, July 21 (Yonhap) -- At least eight people were injured
Tuesday at Ssanyong Motor Co.'s only assembly plant as thousands of riot police
were locked in a standoff for the second day with workers who were laid off from
the company, police and company officials said.

Armed with a court-issued eviction order, about 3,000 riot police on Monday
entered the plant in this rural town, about 70km south of Seoul, where nearly
1,000 workers have occupied a paint shop for two months to protest massive job
cuts.
Earlier in the day, some masked protesters fought back by hurling Molotov
cocktails and flinging nuts and bolts from large slingshots as police tried to
approach the painting facility, where many flammable materials are stored.
The injured -- three policemen and five non-union Ssangyong officials -- were
hurt after being hit by metal pieces from the slingshots, according to police and
company officials. Their exact medical conditions were not immediately known.
Outside the paint shop, about 1,500 non-union workers resumed work at the plant's
research facilities.
There were no immediate reports of clashes.
"Some computers were broken or lost, but that did not pose a problem for people
getting back to work," said Chung Mu-young, a Ssangyong spokesman. "I haven't
been able to assess the damage to plant facilities because the union members
fired pieces of metal (at me) from slingshots."
The 61-day occupation has cost Ssangyong 245.6 billion won (US$196.5 million), or
11,520 vehicles, in lost production, according to Chung.
Ssangyong officials said the company has stopped supplying water and gas to the
four-story paint shop, the largest building in the Ssangyong plant.
Lee Chang-geun, a union spokesman, accused the company of cutting the water and
food supply.
"We are facing difficulties in using toilets or washing as the water supply is
cut," Lee said. "Such measures only make union colleagues more angry."
In February, Ssangyong, the smallest carmaker in South Korea, received bankruptcy
protection in exchange for implementing a turnaround plan that calls for 36
percent of its workforce, or 2,646 employees, to be cut.
Since then, some 1,670 workers have left the company through voluntary retirement
plans, while the remaining 976 workers have been on strike since May 21.
In the first six months of this year, Ssangyong's auto sales plunged 73.9 percent
from the same period last year to 13,020 units.
Ssangyong is still 51 percent owned by China's Shanghai Automotive Industry
Corp., but the Chinese parent lost its management control after Ssangyong entered
bankruptcy protection.
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