CHINA:Chinese officials have arrested five suspects accused of forcing hundreds of labourers, including children, to work in prison-like conditions in brick kilns across central and northern China, amid growing public anger over the scandal.
More than 500 slave workers have been freed so far, the Xinhua news agency reported, including more than 50 children, many of them emaciated and traumatised by the experience.
Local media have run reports of human traffickers preying on migrant workers gathered near train stations and luring them to the brick kilns, mines and foundries of Shanxi in northern China, and the adjacent province of Henan, with promises of well-paid work.
Once they arrived at the kilns they were forced to work long hours in appalling conditions, and guard dogs were used to stop them escaping.
Many suffered burns and other injuries and there were also reports of one child who was killed with a shovel last year and quickly buried.
The scandal has prompted calls in the Chinese media for local leaders to resign and demands for an investigation into reports that local government knew the kilns were operating.
"Workers are the cornerstone of a society. By enslaving the workers, the kiln owners are not just subjecting workers, regardless of their age, to extreme misery. They are making a mockery of China's social order and justice system," said a Xinhua commentary, which outlined a series of incidents involving slave labour over recent months.
Among those arrested yesterday were kiln boss Wang Bingbing, foreman Heng Tinghan, who allegedly trafficked the workers to the kiln, and three other men. Xinhua reported the five had confessed to the charges and police were still looking for three other suspects.
Wang Dongyi, father of Wang Bingbing, has been sacked as Communist Party chief of Caosheng village, where one kiln was located.
"We are investigating whether other officials were involved," said Zhang Mingqi, secretary of the All-China Federation of Trade Unions.
So far, police have detained 168 people accused of holding workers in slavery. Police in Shanxi raided 3,700 small brick kilns, freeing 315 people, including 22 children. In Henan, 217 slaves were freed, including 29 juveniles and 10 mentally disabled people.
The scandal first received public attention earlier this month, after 400 parents who believed their children had been sold into slavery posted a plea for help on the internet.
