Yangon , Myanmar ( CNN ) -- Myanmar security forces used tear gas and water cannons early Thursday to drive away hundreds of people protesting a copper mine project owned by the country 's military and a Chinese company , witnesses said . Riot police cleared away all the camps set up by protesters near Monywa township in the northern region of Sagaing , said Khin San Hlaing , a member of parliament in the region for the National League for Democracy , the opposition party led by Nobel laureate and pro-democracy activist Aung San Suu Kyi . Read more : Terrorized , starving and homeless : Myanmar 's Rohingya still forgotten . Dozens of protesters -- a mixture of local residents , students and monks -- were wounded in the police raids , Khin San Hlaing said , but some of them were hiding rather than seeking medial attention . So far , 29 people have been admitted to hospitals , she said , while others have been arrested . The demonstrations are an indication of the willingness of citizens of Myanmar , also known as Burma , to test the limits of the greater political freedom ushered in during the past year and a half under President Thein Sein after decades of authoritarian military rule . But the strong police reaction , coming less than two weeks after U.S. President Barack Obama visited Myanmar and emphasized the need to improve human rights in the country , has fueled doubts about the government 's commitment to lasting reform . `` The crackdown showed once again that the government , which claims to have turned over a new leaf and to listen to public opinion , is only really protecting its own interests and those of foreign investors , '' said an article by The Irrawaddy , a magazine run by exiles from Myanmar based in Thailand . Read more : Aid group warns of difficulties treating victims of Myanmar violence . Visiting Monywa later Thursday , Suu Kyi said she hoped the situation could be resolved `` peacefully . '' Without commenting directly on the early morning violence , she said she had met with representatives of the mine and also planned to talk to local residents and protesters to try to help negotiate a solution . About 500 people had been demonstrating against the mine project near Monywa since November 17 , expressing concern about its environmental impact and unhappiness about the way local people 's land had been claimed for it . Smaller protests had been taking place for months , and police in Yangon , the former capital , arrested eight activists demonstrating against the copper mine earlier this week . The mine project , in a mountainous area near Monywa , has been operated by the military-owned Myanmar Economic Holding and the Chinese company Wanbao Mining . Covering an area of 3,184 hectares ( 7,868 acres ) , it received government approval in 2010 . Li Songgang , a spokesman for Wanbao Mining , said the company is `` willing to communicate with residents and protesters , so as to work out practical solutions . '' `` We are very concerned about the protests , '' he said , noting the that company has had to suspend construction of the project , which is not yet operational . His tone appeared more conciliatory than that of the Chinese Embassy in Myanmar , which said in a statement that issues related to the mine project such as relocation , compensation and environmental protection had been settled . `` We hope all levels of Myanmar society can create a favorable environment for the project 's smooth operation based on respect for laws and regulations of Myanmar , '' the statement said . Journalists Ko Phyo in Yangon and Ma Qian in Beijing contributed to this report .
NEW : `` We are very concerned about the protests , '' the Chinese firm involved in the mine says . Aung San Suu Kyi visits the area and says she hopes for a peaceful solution . Hundreds of protesters have been demonstrating against the mine project . The government has said it will not allow any construction work to begin until an environmental impact study is completed by November 1.