Indian activists threaten to burn ship carrying NZ milk

Protests in India organised by Hindu nationalist political party Shiv Sena against imports of New Zealand dairy products have turned ugly with party workers draining thousands of litres of milk at Pune, 100km south of Mumbai.

The attack on a local milk tanker - and on five other tankers earlier in the week - followed threats to burn a ship carrying imports of milk from New Zealand.

Protesting the National Dairy Development Board's (NDDB) decision to import 30,000 tonne of milk powder and 15,000 tonne of ghee from New Zealand, the party members - known as "Shiv Sainiks" yesterday stopped a local milk tanker and drained the milk, NDTV reported.

On July 23, a farmer's organisation aligned to the Shiv Sena staged a similar protest in Satara district against the dairy imports.

Local farmers have claimed that imports from New Zealand will affect their business.

Farmers have asked government officials to scrap the imports and have threatened to set on fire a ship due to arrive in Mumbai on August 18 with the New Zealand dairy products.

A Shiv Sena official in Satara, Viraj Kharade, told NDTV: "We will spill more milk, we will stone milk tankers and further intensify our agitation as we want the government to focus their attention on this issue."

- NZPA