Chemical plant rally illegal, govt says

Hundreds walk streets in early hours, worried about harm to environment

A rally against the construction of a petrochemical plant in Maoming, an important production base in Guangdong province, was illegal, the local government said on Monday.

Crowds of residents have taken to the streets since Sunday in protest of a proposed 3.5 billion yuan ($569 million) paraxylene project that would add to the city's existing petrochemical operations jointly run by the local government and State-owned oil giant Sinopec. Residents fear it will harm the environment.