April 23, 2017 - 11:12 AM
MANAGUA, Nicaragua - The Nicaraguan government has once again blocked a planned protest by opponents of a Chinese company's project to build an interoceanic canal across Nicaragua.
The country's National Police force said in a statement Saturday that the protesters were disturbing the peace.
A lawyer for the farm groups organizing the weekend protest in the central town of Juigalpa said at least one person was wounded.
Monica Lopez Baltodano said about a dozen organizers had been detained by police.
Sceptics have doubted whether the canal concession, granted in 2014 to a Chinese company, will ever be built. It has barely broken ground.
Critics say the canal project threatens to displace rural communities and damage the environment. About 7,000 families living along the route face displacement.
News from © The Associated Press, 2017