Brickkilns: Wherewereauthorities?
[ 2007-06-21 16:08 ] Noneofthesynonymsfor "anger" isstrongenoughtoexpressthepublic'sfuryatthecrimescommittedbysomebrickkilnownersinShanxiProvince. Asreportedbythemedialastweek, theyhadabductedchildren, forcedthemintoslavelabor, beatthemandimprisonedtheminthebrickyards.
Accordingtothereports, "nearly 1,000" childrenwereabductedtobesoldtobrickyardsinseveralcountiesinShanxi. Theteenagerswereforcedtolabor "onallfours" 14 hoursadaywithoutsufficientfood.
Nobodywouldbelievethatsuchatrocitiesdepictedinmoviesoflong-goneerasarehappeningintoday'sChina - 58 yearsaftertheCommunistParty-ledrevolutionputanendtotheoldsociety.
Iwanttoask: Whatwerelocalgovernmentofficialsdoingwhenthechildrenandotherworkersweretormented?
Thepublicwon'tacceptresponsesfromthelocaladministrationandlawenforcementauthoritiessuchas "Wewerenotawareofthecase" or "Nobodytippedusoff."
Theseexcusesstemfromtwopossibilities. Eithertheyknewaboutthecasesbutdeniedtheknowledgebecausetheyhadinterestinthebrickyardsorbecausetheywereafraidofbeingblamedfordereliction, ortheyreallydidnotknow.
Idon'twanttodiscussthesuspectedcollaborationbetweenthebrickyardownersandlocalofficialswhichisyettobeproved. ButIwanttoemphasizethatnoneoftheseargumentsexemptthemfromchargesofderelictionofdutygiventhefactthatsuchblatantcrimeshappenedundertheverynoseoftheseofficialsforsolongatime.
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