India: Police fire on smugglers wood, 20 dead
At least 20 people were killed Tuesday when Indian police opened fire on suspected traffickers sandalwood in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh, according to a local commander.
The police acted in self defense when they opened fire after the smugglers ordered to give up their booty, told AFP the Deputy Inspector General Mr. Kantha Rao.
Suspected traffickers were among a hundred. "Our team asked them to put the pieces of wood, which the smugglers refused to do," he said. "Ultimately, acting in self-defense, the police opened fire on the traffickers."
A spokesman of the local forestry department said for his part told AFP that the smugglers had attacked the police with axes, sticks and stones in two different sites in the forest.
Nine bodies were found in one place, 11 in another place, added Mr Rao, who leads a team specially set up to fight against sandalwood smuggling.
Six or seven police officers were injured in the clashes that occurred in the Chittoor district, 480 kilometers north of Hyderabad, the state capital.
Associations for the protection of human rights of Andhra Pradesh explain that sandalwood smuggling, highly sought in neighboring China, is the source of frequent clashes.
VS Krishna, Secretary General of the Forum of Human Rights of the state, said that the police had described a similar incident as a shooting when in fact the police had fired "unilaterally". According to him, the victims of these confrontations are poor workers from the neighboring state of Tamil Nadu.
India banned in 2000 the sale of red sandalwood after variety had been placed on the list of plant varieties in danger but smuggling continues. Most passes through the northeast of India to Burma.
At least 20 people were killed Tuesday when Indian police opened fire on suspected traffickers sandalwood in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh, according to a local commander.
The police acted in self defense when they opened fire after the smugglers ordered to give up their booty, told AFP the Deputy Inspector General Mr. Kantha Rao.
Suspected traffickers were among a hundred. "Our team asked them to put the pieces of wood, which the smugglers refused to do," he said. "Ultimately, acting in self-defense, the police opened fire on the traffickers."
A spokesman of the local forestry department said for his part told AFP that the smugglers had attacked the police with axes, sticks and stones in two different sites in the forest.
Nine bodies were found in one place, 11 in another place, added Mr Rao, who leads a team specially set up to fight against sandalwood smuggling.
Six or seven police officers were injured in the clashes that occurred in the Chittoor district, 480 kilometers north of Hyderabad, the state capital.
Associations for the protection of human rights of Andhra Pradesh explain that sandalwood smuggling, highly sought in neighboring China, is the source of frequent clashes.
VS Krishna, Secretary General of the Forum of Human Rights of the state, said that the police had described a similar incident as a shooting when in fact the police had fired "unilaterally". According to him, the victims of these confrontations are poor workers from the neighboring state of Tamil Nadu.
India banned in 2000 the sale of red sandalwood after variety had been placed on the list of plant varieties in danger but smuggling continues. Most passes through the northeast of India to Burma.
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