New plea to save 'lost' kids [ 2007-06-26 15:09 ]
The parents of more than 400 missing children have posted a second joint
letter online, urging authorities to step up their efforts to rescue slave
workers across the country.
"The slavery case in Hongtong County that
caused a great stir in the country is only the tip of the iceberg. Thousands of
laborers are still suffering and in pain. Please save our children!" the letter
said.
The parents, most of them Central China's Henan Province, believe
their missing children have been abducted or coaxed into child labor in
neighboring Shanxi Province, and are therefore in need of rescue.
The
Xiaoxiang Morning Post quoted some parents as saying they had seen some of the
rescued children on the same buses as their own youngsters, on their way to
Shanxi.
In a previous letter sent out earlier this month, one of the
parents surnamed Yuan said he received a phone call from his son in May, saying
he was being forced to work in a kiln in Shanxi.
The boy said the owner of
the brick kiln had said he would release him if his father paid 35,000 yuan
($4,600).
Eight parents said they had been intimidated by kiln owners
while looking for their children near Yuncheng in Shanxi.
Local police
offered no help, they said.
A police officer with the Shanxi provincial
bureau of public security who did not gave his name said some of the owners of
illegal kilns might have transferred slave laborers to other places before the
police operation. "We will bring them to justice if we have enough evidence," he
said.
Li Yingming, a senior official with Hongtong County, where one of
the first cases of forced labor was exposed, said only two of the 95 brick kilns
in the county had licenses.
And even those might be counterfeit, he
said.
After Shanxi Governor Yu Youjun openly criticized his provincial
administration for the recent slavery cases at a meeting of the State Council on
Wednesday, it yesterday vowed to crack down on such abuses of labor.
It
also promised to pay compensation to the victims and ensure they were returned
home safely. It will launch a special campaign to examine the recruitment and
use of labor in companies throughout the province, especially those in remote
rural areas.
As of Tuesday, police in Shanxi and Henan said they had
detained more than 130 people suspected of being involved in human
trafficking and had freed 591 workers, including 51 children.
(China
Daily 06/22/2007 Page 5)
Questions:
1. How much money did a brick kiln owner demand in order to release a boy to
his father in May?
2. How many brick kilns have licenses?
3. What is the purpose of the
special campaign Shanxi Governor Yu Youjun wants to implement?
Answers:
1. 35,000 yuan ($4,600).
2. Two, and even those might be
counterfeit.
3. To examine the recruitment and use of labor in companies
throughout the province, especially those in remote rural areas.
(英语点津 Linda 编辑)
About the broadcaster:
Suzann Riddle is a senior double majoring in Health Care
Management and Economics at Appalachian State University in Boone, NC. She finds
herself at China Daily Website after visiting many areas of China as a Holland
Fellow, Appalachian's international exchange program with Fudan University.
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