POSCO condemns detention of its officials by villagers

Bhubaneswar, Oct 13 (UNI) South Korea Steel major POSCO today expressed deep concern over the safety and security of its officials and strongly condemned the illegal detention of four executives by the villagers in Dhinkia in Orissa'a Jagatsinghpur district.

In a statement, released to the press here, the POSCO India said this sort of activities would discourage the investors and have adverse impact on foreign investments, which would not be in the larger interest of the people and the state.

It said four executives from POSCO-India - K S Choi, S H Nam, T J Ahn and Deepak Ojha - had gone to the project site to inspect the probable route of electrical tower to be constructed in the area between IOCL and POSCO-India project site.

When the executives got down around the sand hill area near IOCL and were in the process of physical inspection, about 40 to 50 villagers from Dhinkia armed with wooden sticks forcibly took them to Dhinkia village along with the driver and the car.

The four executives and the driver were detained in the Phulakhai temple in Dhinkia for almost six hours by the villagers. They were, however, released unharmed after a discussion with the villagers by the local police.

UNI