20110111
reuters

LUSAKA (Reuters) - Zambian police have taken into custody two Chinese accused of shooting and wounding 11 coal miners for suspected violations of their release on bail, their lawyer said on Tuesday.

The two managers of the Chinese-owned Collum Mine Ltd, 325 km (200 miles) south of the capital Lusaka, are suspected of failing to appear in court, lawyer George Chisanga said.

They were released on bail in November. The two were originally arrested a month earlier and charged with the shooting that took place at a miners' protest over pay and working conditions.

"Police arrested and detained both men," Chisanga said.

Chinese companies have not enjoyed an easy ride in Zambia, where workers, unions and opposition politicians frequently accuse them of abuses and of paying poor wages.

In 2005, five Zambians were shot and wounded by managers during pay-related riots at the Chinese-owned Chambishi mine in the northerly Copperbelt Province.

China is also one of Zambia's most important foreign partners with its direct investment topping more than $1 billion in 2010 and creating more than 15,000 jobs in the major copper producer, officials said.