Mob Beats 6 Chinese Men

SIX Chinese men, believed to be leading members of China Geo-Engineering Corporation, contractors working on the Sofoline Interchange in Kumasi, yesterday morning suffered severe beatings at the hands of some aggrieved Ghanaian workers at the project site. It took the timely intervention of armed police/military men who arrived at the scene to avert a possible bloodbath. The agility of the Chinese nationals who were able to race swiftly from harm�s way, also saved their skin, the paper learnt. So far, conflicting reports are emerging with regard to what really led to the beating of the Chinese nationals by the Ghanaian demonstrators who had previously demonstrated at the project site on Monday without an incident. Some reports indicated that the Chinese men suffered their predicament because they allegedly pointed guns at the Ghanaian demonstrators without provocation. The Ghanaian workers had laid down their tools and were demonstrating against what they termed as �peanut salaries� paid to them by their Chinese employers. The demonstration allegedly angered the Chinese superiors who, without provocation, pointed guns at them, possibly to frighten them to leave the scene. Other reports said the over hundred demonstrators converged on the project site, peacefully, to continue the demonstration which began on Monday when, out of nowhere, one of the Chinese nationals, whose name was only given by some of the Ghanaian workers as Eric, emerged at the scene with a video camera and started recording what was going on. The Ghanaian demonstrators quickly warned him to stop filming them but he would not budge as he remained adamant. Eric�s behaviour reportedly angered the demonstrators so they pounced on him. The mob then started hitting the said Eric from all directions with hefty blows. The other Chinese nationals, realizing that their colleague was in danger, went for their sophisticated guns, warning to shoot the Ghanaian demonstrators if they did not let Eric go. The demonstrators then directed their anger at the other Chinese nationals on sight whom they quickly overpowered and started beating mercilessly until the police/army team arrived. But for the timely arrival of the armed police/military men, something horrific could have occurred as the demonstrators had overpowered the Chinese men whom they were beating mercilessly, an eyewitness said. Some of the workers who spoke to DAILY GUIDE on condition of anonymity confirmed that indeed they beat the Chinese nationals. �Yes, we beat them and we shall beat them again next time if they decide to misbehave,� one of the aggrieved demonstrators yelled. Some of the Ghanaian demonstrators said their Chinese superiors were treating them like slaves in their own land and they would resist that with their blood. They said they had had enough of the maltreatment suffered at the hands of the Chinese nationals, stating that they would henceforth rely on force to drum home their grievances. The demonstrators said their salary hadn�t been increased by their Chinese superiors in the past three years. Ghanaian workers at the Sofoline Interchange construction site hit the streets to demonstrate over their wages on Monday morning. The demonstration went on peacefully on the first day, though there were reports of burning of tyres by the demonstrators. The demonstrators have vowed not to return to work until their demands of salary increment have been met.