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Opinion | Sichuan chemical plant project suspended after Yaan earthquake
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Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province, has said it has halted a controversial chemical plant project amid concerns over its proximity to an earthquake fault line.
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"The government insists that it will not allow production at the petrochemical project in Pengzhou to begin prior to a legally required examination," the Chengdu Daily quoted a statement from a city council meeting on Monday.
The statement came nine days after a 7-magnitude earthquake struck Sichuan and killed at least 196 people. The temblor has reignited concerns over potential health hazards caused by the petrochemical factory in the northwestern suburbs of the 14-million-strong capital.
"We have undertaken a careful investigation into factors affecting social stability," the report said, referring to calls for protests against the plant.
A woman surnamed Fan, 33, was arrested on Friday, after she called for a protest on May 4 against the plant. In a post on Thursday on her microblog that has since been deleted, she also said the protest had been approved by authorities.
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Chengdu Television showed Fan apologising for posting the siren call during a news broadcast on Friday, but that did not help abate online expressions of anger at the plant project and her arrest.
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