Police build up forces at occupied Ssangyong Motor factory

PYEONGTAEK, South Korea, Aug. 4 (Yonhap) -- Police were reinforcing their forces
on Tuesday at the sole assembly plant of Ssangyong Motor occupied by hundreds of
fired workers, indicating that a raid is imminent, according to police officials.

About 4,000 riot police surrounded the plant in this rural town of Pyeongtaek
with a full complement of firetrucks and police commanders arriving inside the
plant.
Police used forklifts to remove barricades and other barriers to a painting
facility where some 550 laid-off workers have remained holed up since May 22,
protesting against their job cuts.
"By fully mobilizing forces today, we will gauge how far we can approach into the
painting facility," said a police official, requesting anonymity.
Police sprayed tear gas from helicopters, while the protesters fought back by
shooting bolts and nuts from large slingshots and sometimes rolling out burning
tires.
Tensions resurfaced as last-minute talks to peacefully end the standoff broke off
on Sunday as the management of Ssangyong and the unionists failed to make a
breakthrough over how many fired workers would be given their jobs back.
The company has cut off water and electricity to the paint shop, which is packed
with flammable materials. Since the talks collapsed, 114 fired workers have
voluntarily left the site, according to police.
Ssangyong, under bankruptcy protection since February, has until Sept. 15 to
submit its final turnaround program to its creditors and a bankruptcy judge.
The standoff has darkened the prospects for Ssangyong's survival, costing nearly
316 billion won (US$259.4 million) in lost production.
A group of Ssangyong suppliers said they will ask the bankruptcy judge to
liquidate the troubled carmaker on Wednesday.
In the first six months of this year, Ssangyong's 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 parent lost management control after Ssangyong entered bankruptcy
protection.
(END)