China will launch a large-scale nationwide investigation on laborers
employed in small kilns and collieries following the exposure of the forced
labor scandal in Shanxi Province.
Lawbreakers that illegally employ children, force people to work or
maliciously injure workers will be severely punished, according to a state
council conference chaired by Premier Wen Jiabao here Wednesday.
The move comes after the exposure of the brick kiln scandal in Shanxi
Province. Many brick kilns owners in Shanxi Province forced workers to work 14
to 20 hours a day without payment. Owners of the primitive brick kilns made use
of fierce dogs and thugs who beat children at will.
The investigation group, composed of personnel from the Ministry of Labour
and Social Security, the Ministry of Public Security and the All-China
Federation of Trade Unions, made a preliminary report on the scandal at the
conference.
So far about 160 suspects have been detained in Shanxi and Henan.
By Sunday night, about 45,000 policemen had raided more than 8,000 kilns and
small coal mines in the two provinces and freed 591 workers, including 51
children.
The criminals are suspected not only of illegal employment practices, but
also of abduction, limiting others' freedom, employing under-age workers and
even murder.
The conference said lawbreakers should be severely punished.
The conference ordered the Shanxi government to step up investigation of the
scandal and compensate the victims.
Yu Youjun, governor of Shanxi Province, made a self-criticism at the
conference on behalf of the Shanxi government.
The conference urged local governments and central ministries to learn a
lesson from the scandal.