Conflict Incident Report

BEIRUT: Truckers blocked highway connecting Beirut to south Lebanon Wednesday to protest government regulations. The protest began at 7 a.m. when truckers opposed attempts to revoke truck licenses and restrict access to quarries. Kamel Hamadi, a representative for demonstrators, read a statement listing demands. “We demand that we return to work at ... the quarries in the south, Western Bekaa and other locations,” the statement said. Truckers in the south are subject to work-hour limits that truckers elsewhere are not. The protest follows a similar block in the Kfar Roummane roundabout near the southern city of Nabatieh on March 4. Truckers argue that restrictions placed in the south are unjust. Protesters opened the road after the a union leader requested a week to relay demands to authorities.