Police release striking Samsung workers detained for planning protest march

Indian police late on Monday released most of the 104 striking workers at a Samsung Electronics plant who were detained for planning a protest march without permission, with the dispute disrupting output at the factory for the past week.

The detention marked an escalation of a strike by workers at the Samsung home appliance plant near Chennai in the state of Tamil Nadu. Workers who want higher wages have since Sept. 9 stopped work at the plant that contributes roughly a third of Samsung's annual India revenue of $12 billion.

The Samsung protests have cast a shadow on Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's plan of courting foreign investors to "Make in India" and tripling electronics production to $500 billion in six years. Lured by cheap labour, foreign companies are increasingly using India for manufacturing to diversify their supply chain beyond China.