"Protesters shot dead by police at Bangladesh power plant", 17 April 2021

At least five people have been shot dead and dozens injured when police opened fire at workers demanding a pay rise at a Chinese-backed coal-fired power plant in southeast Bangladesh. They were protesting over unpaid wages, working hours and alleged discrimination.

...The $2.4bn power plant, located 265km (165 miles) southeast of the capital, Dhaka, is a main source of foreign investment in Bangladesh, and one of a series of projects Beijing is pushing to cultivate closer ties with Dhaka.

Rights activists say the plant does not meet environmental impact standards and was built without public consultation. It has been at the centre of other deadly protests in recent years.

In 2016, [...] four demonstrators opposing its construction were killed...One man was killed in 2017 when police fired shots at a rally.