Beijing, June 15: Chinese police have rescued 248
people, including many children, who were forced to work as
'slaves' in appalling conditions in brick kilns in Henan
and Shanxi provinces and further crackdown is underway, the
state media reported today.
Authorities in central Henan province rescued 217 people
including 29 children and detained 120 suspects during a
four-day crackdown on 7,500 kilns involving more than 35,000
police officers.
In the area around Xinxiang, north of Zhengzhou, police
raided 20 brick kilns on Saturday and rescued 23 people
including 16 children.
In the past two weeks, Chinese media have exposed the
plight of children held captive in brick kilns in neighbouring
Shanxi province and photos of distraught parents have appeared
in the press.
It is reported that 400 Henan fathers have gone to the
remote mountains in Shanxi to track down missing sons who
they believe were sold to kilns.
In North China's Shanxi province, police rescued 31
people who were forced to work under extremely cruel
conditions in brick kilns and detained five suspects.
Wang Bingbing, owner of an illegal brick kiln, and four
accomplices, were detained after police found they were
holding 32 people abducted or lured from railways stations of
Henan and Shanxi.
Nine of the 32 were mentally disabled. One worker, born
mentally handicapped, was beaten to death last November,
local police said.
Guarded by taskmasters and dogs, they were forced to work
15 to 16 hours per day, and finish their meals of steamed
bread and water within 15 minutes. The workers slept on the
ground in a dark room without heating system in freezing
winter, they said.
Police are still hunting for another suspect from Henan.
The crackdown campaign was launched in 11 cities of
Shanxi. There have been raids on coal mines, brick kilns,
private contractors and small-sized enterprises.
Bureau Report
