Investigation opened after Guangdong man brandishes knife at reporters

A man surnamed Wu who brandished a knife and made death threats to reporters who were covering his company's discharge of sewage was summoned to the local public security department in Yangshan county in Guangdong province on Wednesday.

Other departments, including environmental protection, agricultural and rural affairs, have jointly established a special task force to further investigate the case and punish those who have violated laws and regulations, according to a statement released by the Yangshan county government on Wednesday.

The incident showed some staff members have poor legal awareness and caused adverse social impacts, the statement read.

The county government promised to expand supervision and further raise the legal awareness of local enterprises in the months to come.

The incident immediately caused a stir among residents and netizens in the wake of a report from Guangdong Radio and Television on Tuesday.

Wu, a staff member at a local animal husbandry company, was found to use a 10-centimenter knife to threaten to kill reporters from Guangdong Radio and Television if they refused to leave.

Reporters arrived on the scene to cover the case when they were informed by local villagers the sewage discharged by the company's pig farms have seriously polluted the environment.

Li Yangkun, an official with the law enforcement bureau of the county's environmental protection department, said the bureau has issued administrative penalties multiple times in the previous two years, with the latest being issued on June 6 and carrying a fine of 49,000 yuan ($6,900).

The bureau has received many complaints from residents about the company's pollution, he said.