Hong Kong businesses along the Pearl River are nervous of the repercussions following wage increases at Foxconn and Honda in China. (Payton Chung/Flickr)

- Chinese wage hikes cause headaches in Hong Kong

- Greedy companies send pharmaceutical costs soaring

- Mudslides in southern China kill hundreds

- Renowned doctor pursues justice at Supreme Court along with petitioners

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Chinese wage hikes cause headaches in Hong Kong

Unease sweeps through mainland China as Hong Kong businesses along the Pearl River Delta are impacted by workers strikes over pay rise issues at Foxconn and Honda.

According to the Hong Kong Small and Medium Enterprises Association (HKSME), it’s estimated that between 1,000 and 2,000 Hong Kong businesses will go bust by the end of 2010. The global financial crisis of 2008, has seen close to 10,000 Hong Kong firms declare bankruptcy, leaving 40 to 50,000 businesses to bunker down and ride out the pay rise storms; more closures may indeed occur.

President of HKSME, Mr Liu Dabang, said that since May this year, Guangzhou increased the minimum wage by 20% to 920 Yuan. Foxconn’s increase raised the minimum wage to 2,000 Yuan. Hong Kong businesses around the district will be greatly affected.

Mr Liu said (recording):
“If we had 5% net profit and increased salaries by 100%, we would have no profit, leaving a 5% loss. The impact is huge. I estimate between 1,000 to 2,000 companies will be out of business by the end of the year. Even though the Chinese Communist regime banned reports on these strikes for fear of withdrawal of foreign investments; it is inevitable that Hong Kong and other overseas investors will leave the mainland.”

Mr Liu also said (recording):
“As salaries increase, so do the land prices. Comparatively speaking, the benefits become smaller and smaller. When it gets to a point where there is no profit left, factories will return to their hometown or seek out other affordable premises.”

Liang Zhen in Hong Kong of the SOH Radio Network.

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Collusion, price-fixing and complicated government regulation has driven up the cost of medicine in China. (oceanaris/Flickr)

Greedy companies send pharmaceutical costs soaring

The release last year of China’s National Health Insurance catalogue revealed an increase in the price and number of new Chinese drugs. Some prices have reached exorbitant levels. Many medical professionals believe China’s pharmaceutical industry has been monopolized by interest groups, officials and businessmen. Collusion and price-fixing have caused major headaches for those struggling to afford medical expenses.

In 2009, China’s Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security issued the latest edition of its ‘National Health Catalogue of Medical, Workplace and Birth Insurance’. Comparisons between the current and 2004 edition reveal a startling increase of 260 drugs on the market. There was a sharp jump in the price of many drugs.

In Dalian, Mr Liu from the sales department of Jingang Medical Pty told reporters about one of the company’s products, an olive alkene product used to treat tumours. Five days before the release of the insurance catalogue, the price rose from 93.50 Yuan to 140 Yuan. Currently it costs 170 Yuan ($25 US Dollars) doubling in price in just six months.

Mr Liu told SOH (recording):
“The price set by the National Development and Reform Commission hasn’t changed for four years. The price set by the commission is 93.50 Yuan. Early in 2007, we proposed to raise the prices in line with the provinces. Afterwards raw material costs kept going up, operations and wages also went up. In October 2009, the product was included in the National Health Insurance catalogue so it was changed to 140 Yuan.”

The report highlights the problems with the pricing mechanism for drugs. Suppose the sale price of a single drug at a hospital is 115 Yuan ($17 US Dollars). Then the wholesale price from an agent would be close to 90 Yuan. The agent however, may have purchased the drugs from the manufacturer at just 18 Yuan ($2.60 US Dollars). The extra 72 Yuan ($10 US dollars) is supposed to cover clinical costs, taxes, packaging, postage, and percentages for medical and public relations representatives. Mr Liu said the pricing regulations in China were overly complicated.

He told SOH (recording):
“The price of drugs is set by the government, enterprises or the National Development and Reform Commission. These three contribute to high prices. Manufacturers do not sell medicine directly to patients. Instead prices rely on tenders from distribution companies, the State in turn, regulates the price which they sell to hospitals.

Mr Zhu, a medical professional believes China’s pharmaceuticals have been monopolized by interest groups who can fix prices at will.

He told SOH (recording):
“The cost of medicine has doubled; I feel there must be manipulation on a national scale. Honestly, it may be collusion between officials and businessmen. The merchants sell at an expensive price and make more profits. It’s not so expensive from the manufacturer, however between the medical and marketing companies, then into hospitals and again into pharmacies, after this the price is doubled. All sectors in between make a profit.”

Mr Zhang from Changzhou in Jiangsu Province said health insurance policies often cheat people, some medical expenses can’t be claimed.

He spoke to SOH (recording):
“Health insurance cheats people. Even if we want insurance, they won’t insure us. We do have insurance for farmers, but it is limited. It only covers visits to county level hospitals, we can only go there. They only give you medicine and don’t end up getting better. They won’t treat your illnesses. Last time we spent over ten thousand Yuan and that would only delay small illnesses. The Communist Party’s health insurance is a scam.

In May this year, there was extensive media coverage in Sichuan of the ‘asparagus’ drug, a kind of supplement to treat cancer. The manufacturer sold the ‘asparagus’ drug at 15.5 Yuan. But hospitals sold the drug at 213 Yuan, a 1300% price jump.

Lin Li and Yi Fan of the SOH Radio Network.

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Severe rains have caused flooding in many parts of southern China.

Mudslides in southern China kill hundreds

180,000 people have been trapped by flood waters in China’s Jiangxi Province since Sunday, June 20th. Heavy rainfall has caused severe floods, and deadly mudslides have killed several people in China’s southern regions. Jiangxi, Hunan and Fujian Provinces have been hit the hardest.

The floods have caused disruption in many cities who are without transportation, communication or fresh water supplies. In Jiangxi Provine, the counties of Fuzhou and Yintan have suffered the worst of the flood.

Roads, communication and the water supply have been cut off in Zixi and Yujiang counties. A resident of Zixi county, Mr. Fu Zhifeng, told SOH reporters of the severity of the situation.

He said (recording):
“There are [building] collapses over there. In our county and in the village, there are 4-6 deaths reported. The bridges are broken down, and many of the villages are flooded.”

In Yunnan Province thunderstorms have caused major damages in Guixi, Yujiang, Yuehu, and Dragon and Tiger counties. On Saturday morning, locals reported seeing leeks in the wall of the Yuehu county reservoir, as well as mudslides going on for several hundred meters.
Mr. Wu of Dragon and Tiger County says the flood damage to the province is enormous.

He tells SOH (recording):
“There are floods in many parts of the province; the situation is very terrible. With the flooding, there are many places with mudslides and broken bridges. Many [people] died, but the numbers have not yet been confirmed. Crops are underwater and there is no [drinking] water or electricity. It’s terrible. The flood wave is almost 10 meters high and even the reservoir is damaged. There are villages where the water level reaches the third floor. Some of the roofs are submerged and some have shifted.”

Two residents of Yujiang County told reporters of their situation.

Mrs. Zhu says (recording):
“The rain was heavy in our village, quite heavy; over 100 millimeters a day. The whole county seat is submerged. There’s no electricity and no water; it’s really bad.”

Mr. Feng says (recording):
“There was very heavy rain. Our county seat and roads are flooded and no vehicles can run. Schools are closed these last two days. There is still no electricity and water, and the crops and roads are all submerged. We went to the countryside to help. Dozens of houses may collapse.”

According to online sources, the entire Liaojiadi village of Sanming county in Fujian province is submerged, with 4-5 deaths reported by locals. The villagers evacuated to the neighboring Changjia village.

Mr. Chen of Sanming County told reporters his county sits in low terrain and often floods. He said (recording):
“The rain is heavy and there are also mudslides, of which about 12 people died. We suffer from this every year. We are at the lower end of the reservoir and when the gate is opened, we will have a flood as high as the second floor [of a house]. I heard the floods in other places are as high as 3 meters.”

A resident of Zhaowu city tells SOH of the flooding in Fujian province. He says (recording):
“Mudslides caused a couple of deaths, as those who lived in the countryside could not evacuate. Houses are down and schools are closed. Crops and many old bridges are certainly damaged.”

It is the 14th time Fujian, Jiangxi, and Henan province has been hit by heavy thunderstorms. As of 8pm on Sunday June 20th, 10 million people have been affected.

Damaged crops account for a total of 5.3 million square metres, while the official death toll is at 132, with 86 people missing. 68,000 houses have collapsed, resulting in an economic loss of 14.5 billion Yuan (approximately 2.5 billion Australian dollars).

Lu Fang and Yu Xing of the SOH Radio Network.

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Renowned medical specialist Jiao Donghai (pictured) is pursuing justice at the Supreme People's Court against Chief of Medicine of Xiangshan Hospital. The chief has escaped punishment for serious medical malpractice.

Renowned doctor pursues justice at Supreme Court along with petitioners

The Supreme People’s Court of China has begun a review of several past cases, some involving petitioners. In response, renowned doctor Jiao Donghai and over 80 petitioners hurried to Beijing to raise awareness of their cases. On June 18th they visited Peking University to get advice from legal scholars on civil procedure. The scholars voiced their support saying their actions were legally sound.

Dr Jiao Donghai is an expert in traditional Chinese medicine and is famous for his remarkable dietary treatments. He once helped a patient lose over 50 kilograms in 11 months. Dr Jiao worked at Shanghai’s Xiangshan Hospital. Rampant corruption and unsafe medical practices prompted him to file a lawsuit against the hospital chief, Kang Zhengxiang. Kang was initially found guilty and sentenced by a court, but the medical chief was shielded from punishment by officials.

Dr Jiao spoke to SOH about their visit to Peking University (recording):
“They support us suing the officials. One of them said when civilians sue officials; the chances of winning are small. Because I have the court judgements, I have the evidence. I want to sue the officials of the District Department of Health, who helped cover up the crimes committed by the Chief of Xiangshan Hospital.”

Dr Jiao spoke of the problems at Xiangshan Hospital (recording):
“The hospital chief was selling fake drugs and caused the death of several employees. He is still the hospital chief. He still bullies civilians. He even created fake documents to cover up the death of the son of the Deputy General Secretary of the Disciplinary Committee. He also caused the death of a farmer, Zhang Yongcai. He hasn’t been punished. The court handed a judgement and sentence against him, but the Secretary General of the Luwan District Committee is protecting him.”

Another petitioner who made her way to Beijing was Mao Hengfeng. She was sentenced to a yearlong forced labour camp term because of the World Expo. Mao and her husband Wu Xuewei also came to Beijing seeking legal help.

Wu Xuewei said (recording):
“As long as labour camp systems exist, there is little hope of achieving justice. In reality, the camp system restricts people’s personal freedom, and forces detainees to perform labour without compensation. Mao Hengfeng told me of a saying in the camps: “Start work at the crack of dawn, non-stop, until the ghosts come out at night.” Detainees are forced to do labour-intensive, manual production work. The labour camp system not only violates the constitution, it is notorious for its cruelty and viciousness. The fact is guards in the camp are crueller and harsher to detainees than regulations permit.”

Mao Hengfeng had been arrested, detained and sentenced by Shanghai authorities numerous times for her protests against the ‘one-child policy.’ On February 24th, 2010, police arrested Mao. Ten days later, she was sentenced to one and half years of forced labour.

Tian Xi of the SOH Radio Network.

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- Student attacks caused by social dissent

- Hu Jia’s condition worsens

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Latest employee suicide at Foxconn Technology

An employee of Foxconn Technology Group has leaped off a building to his death. What’s alarming is this is the ninth suicide at the giant electronics manufacturer this year. The suicides all occurred at Foxconn’s Shenzhen branch in China, the latest on May 14th. When interviewed, employees at Foxconn said repetitive work regimes, stress, and poor management all contributed to the suicide.

Foxconn is a multinational business group which specialises in creating electronic and computer components for a range of products, including the iPad, iPhone and Playstation. The factory complex in Shenzhen has over 400,000 employees.

According to an employee of Foxconn, the complex in Hongguanyuan District has a very high employee turnover rate. Each factory has tens of thousands of employees. Each day sees thousands of new recruits and resignations. Recruitment criteria are lax and there are many gaps in management.

The anonymous employee told SOH (recording):
“Those who jump off the buildings are lower level staff, killing themselves because of work stress. Their work is simple and repetitive. In this kind of environment, everything becomes numb, including their thoughts, aspirations, and emotions. Under such work conditions, where they repeat the same tasks each day, they tend to think of the worst if they don’t know how to adjust their emotions after work. A few university graduates committed suicide because of mental problems or romantic troubles.”

It isn’t just the repetitive work routine which is harming employees; workers apparently suffer beatings and strict security as well. In the early hours of January 23rd, 19-year-old Ma Xiangqian was found dead underneath the employee dormitories of the Guanlan Factory in Shenzhen. His body was covered in wounds. Relatives suspect he may have died from a beating, but police refused to investigate. There have apparently been many incidents where employees were beaten by security staff.

Regarding security the Foxconn employee had this to say (recording):
“Some of the security personnel are not friendly or they are bad. I’ve heard of security beating people up because their job requirement is to ‘supervise people’, in other words their role is to look for trouble.”

Five of Foxconn’s nine suicides this year occurred at Longhua Factory in Shenzhen. An employee of that factory, Mr Wu spoke to us about below-par working conditions. He said (recording):
“Comparatively speaking, working conditions are not as good. Turnover is very high. There are many employees. Not everything is well managed. If one works overtime, one earns more.”

Foxconn employees earn the minimum wage of 900 Yuan a month, that’s 131 US dollars. 72 Yuan is deducted for social security and income tax. As it stands many employees would struggle to make ends meet if they don’t work overtime.

Tian Yu and Lu Fang of the SOH Radio Network.

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Student attacks caused by social dissent

In the past two months, six cases of knife attacks have taken place in mainland China. A recent seventh case occurred at a college in Hainan Province. So far 20 children have been killed and more than 80 injured. Many parents are rightly concerned over the safety of their children, and fear has gripped Chinese society. Teachers and parents interviewed by SOH believe the root cause of the attacks is social injustice. Many attackers vent their despair and anger at students.

Mr Chen a teacher at a kindergarten in Linzhang of Hebei Province told reporters school staff is very nervous now. Schools have strengthened security in wake of the attacks. Only adults with children are allowed to enter schools. As for the attackers, Mr Chen believes they must have suffered wrongs in the past. He said (recording):
“They are probably sick and need help, and they must have been wronged in a certain way, but there is no place for them to vent their anger and suffering. They then pass the suffering to others, so as to feel they aren’t the only ones suffering, and maybe this will get the attention of society.”

The Chinese authorities have issued a media ban on covering these attacks. Mr Chen disagrees saying (recording):
“It should be truthfully reported, at least to serve as a way to protect and prepare ourselves.”

Mr Li from Wuhan, whose son is in middle school, says social conflicts aren’t being eased, instead they continue to be aggravated. He said (recording):
“On the surface, this is a bunch of insane people murdering weak children. But if you look deeper this is a society where some people are eaten alive. Under Communist tyranny, poor people have no way out. When there is a social problem, people can’t get justice from courts, and they have to find a way to vent the pressure.”

Mr Li thinks the media ban on the killings is useless, saying (recording):
“Nowadays the Internet is so effective and fast; it’s obvious you can’t block information. As soon as something happens, it will travel fast and far. There will be an immediate response on the Internet.”

Mr Li is deeply concerned about how to protect children. He states (recording):
“There is not really much we can do. The system is broken, and we simply can’t protect and prevent it from happening. I am concerned, very much concerned. There is a universal fear among people, and a sense of despair in all walks of society. This is the general feeling and perception of the masses, and living in daylight hell under the Communist Party.”

Mr Bai, whose daughter attends college, spoke of the dangers if people had no place to vent their frustrations (recording):
“These people live on the lowest rung of society, they have no other way to make ends meet, and have no place to vent their anger. There is anger and resentment among the masses, and if there is no avenue to vent, I think there will be even more severe problems waiting to happen.”

According to Mr Bai, Chinese families are gripped in terror. All elementary schools, middle schools, and kindergartens in Beijing have police officers, security personnel and police vehicles on standby. In addition, schools have adopted a policy of escorting students. Parents have to walk and hand their children over to teachers in person, and teachers must escort students to their parents.

Since March there have been school attacks in six Chinese provinces: Fujian, Guangxi, Guangdong, Jiangsu, Shandong and the latest on the island province of Hainan. The Ministry of Education has formed an emergency response team to deal with the threat and enhance security measures in schools and campuses nationwide.

Wen Hong of the SOH Radio Network.

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Hu Jia’s condition worsens

The health of world renowned human rights lawyer Hu Jia, deteriorates in a Chinese jail. The two time Nobel Peace Prize nominee was arrested in 2007, for allegedly “subverting state power”. This charge is used against any Chinese national who dares speak out against the wrong doings of the Chinese Communist Party.

Now, Hu’s wife and his mother have come forward to say that the man who championed the rights of Chinese AIDs victims is suffering, as his cirrhosis of the liver deteriorates.
Hu’s wife, Zeng Jinyan told SOH, (recording):
“He is skinny, and he can’t eat much. His mental state is fine. He said his mental state is fine.”

Hu was already afflicted with liver disease when he was arrested in 2007. Since then the condition has deteriorated daily. His most recent exam results revealed a glomus tumor in his liver. The family’s requests for medical parole and a physical exam have so far been ignored. So has their request to read Hu’s medical record.

Hu’s family said (recording):
“We have never seen an exam report. They mentioned the results to us verbally; for example, the liver transaminase levels. His medical file is currently in the prison hospital.”
Hu’s family said that they are only permitted to see him once at the end of every month, but in May were permitted to visit him on May 13. His family said it was “unusual”.

Living conditions in the prison are very poor. Hu is not allowed to go outdoors, and as a result he does not get exposure to the sun or any exercise at all.

The world’s media has been paying attention to the condition of Hu Jia’s health. The Beijing Prison Hospital issued a notice to Hu’s family on March 30th, indicating Hu needed further examination to confirm whether his illness was liver cirrhosis or liver cancer. Later, the prison authority denied that Hu might have contracted liver cancer, but as of today, Hu Jia and his family have been denied access to the examination reports.

Hu’s family is appealing to the international society to continue to show their concern for his situation, and to press the Beijing authorities for improvement.

Hu has been a human rights activist in many areas. He is mostly known for his efforts in defending the rights of AIDs patients. He was arrested at the end of 2007, and was sentenced to three and half years in prison by Beijing authorities on April 3, 2008.

Tian Xi of SOH International Radio Network

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Onlookers gather following the most recent kindergarten knife attacks on April 29th.

- CCP covers up kindergarten attacks

- Petitioners speak of World Expo detention

- A hundred miners terminally ill from poor conditions

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CCP covers up kindergarten attacks

April 29th was a day which shocked China as a knife-wielding man went on a rampage in a Chinese kindergarten. Initial Xinhua news reports stated children were killed in the attack. However to the surprise of many, official reports said there were no deaths and just severe injuries.

The attack occurred at the Central Kindergarten in Taixing Town of Jiangsu Province. Local police sealed off the kindergarten immediately after the incident, and parents were forbidden from entering to see their injured children. On April 30th, the day after, over ten thousand people gathered on the streets protesting the inhumane decision, demanding a stop to the cover-up of the truth.

On May 1st, Shanghai began the opening ceremony of the 2010 World Expo. Major Chinese media outlet Sina began circulating an internal notice to media outlets asking them to withdraw the initial report by Xinhua. The notice read: ‘In light of the World Expo’s opening ceremony, this news cannot be displayed on the home page for now.’

Ling Feng, a renowned commentator on China, told SOH the Chinese Communist Party bears great responsibility for the incident. By covering up the truth the regime has shown a lack of humanity.

Ling Feng told reporters (recording):
“We’ve seen from news reports that over ten young children were slashed, and hospitalised. Unexpectedly, parents were forbidden from seeing them. When young children are injured, their mind is most vulnerable and fragile. Their biggest wish is to have their parents by their side. However, their parents weren’t allowed to see them! Is it because they [the CCP] are afraid to let people know the real number of injured children? What is it they’re afraid of? As a result, over 10,000 people took to the streets to protest instantly. Why are parents forbidden to see their injured children? The CCP is just inhumane to such an extent. Don’t they say the CCP can represent the parents? The government can represent the parents? Their conduct is very offensive. It’s all politically oriented. They completely disregard humanity.”

More surprisingly, before being allowed to see their children, most parents were required to sign an agreement sparing the hospital from any liability, in the event the children died during emergency treatment procedures.

Ling Feng had more to say about the situation (recording):
“It’s been over 30 years since the [CCP] adopted the reform and open-door policy. However, today’s situation is no different from Mao’s time. The authorities completely disregard humanity and suppress it. Where do you say we’ve made progress? Such conduct is outrageous and can easily incur people’s protest. That’s why over 10,000 people gathered to protest. There were a few dozen children injured; their family and relatives probably add up to a few hundred. However, over 10,000 people came out onto the streets, because they couldn’t bear the sight of such outrages. When the government fails to resolve the problem properly, the conduct is further intensified. If there are more such incidents, these people know they’ll be in the same situation – they will not be allowed to see their loved ones. At the very least, the incident reveals the government is incapable of protecting these young children.”

Renowned race car driver, and writer and blogger Han Han publishes regular articles in his blog about China’s social issues. He published a recent article titled, ‘Children, You Have Dampened the High Spirits of the Grandpas.’ Han Han wrote the following quote:
“Our pitiful kids, you are the ones poisoned by the tainted milk; affected by the vaccines; buried to death in the earthquakes, burned to death in fires. Even when the rules of adult society cause problems, you are the victims of the adult avengers who stabbed you with knives. I hope what the Taizhou government announced was true; that all of you simply suffered injuries and none of you died in the incident. These adults and the elderly have failed to fulfil their obligations. I hope when you grow up, you will not only take extra care of your own children; I hope you will make this society care about all people’s children.”

Incidents of large-scale killings in schools and kindergartens in China have occurred frequently in recent months. It has left parents in fear and has shocked the Chinese people.

Jing Ru of the SOH Radio Network

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Petitioners speak of World Expo detention

As expected, the opening of the World Expo has coincided with the police arrest and detention of petitioners. On May 1st and 2nd, 17 petitioners visiting the World Expo were detained and are being sent back to where they came. The petitioners claim they’re fully entitled to visit the Expo but have endured harassment the moment they arrived. We hear from some petitioners, who despite being arrested, managed to contact reporters.

Song Yujie, a petitioner from Liaoning Province, was forced into a car by police from Beijing. Ms Song managed to make a phone call to reporters while she was waiting in the police car, she told us (recording):
“I’m in a car, escorted by special Beijing police. I am with Liu Chunbao. Jiang Jiawen is not in the car yet. We have to go. We were chased down by the Directors of the Liaoning Provincial government, Feng and Duan.”

Song further told us (recording),
“I did not come here to attend the World Expo or to appeal. Feng promised to stop at Shenyang. If I am forced to go back to Dandong instead of Shenyang, I will commit suicide.”

Song is Taiwanese and began petitioning when her property was seized by the Dandong authorities. She sought help from the Straits Exchange Foundation, an organisation responsible for interests between China and Taiwan. The Exchange however falsely claimed she was not Taiwanese.

She had one last thing to say to us before her call was cut off (recording),
“I am now in a special police car not knowing where we will go or what will happen.”
After this statement police confiscated the mobile phones and ID cards of the petitioners.

Wang Xiuzhi a petitioner from Langfang City of Hebei Province was taken at 4pm on May 1st. incidentally; she still had her mobile phone and managed to speak to reporters (recording):
“At 4pm, 11 people from Langfang City forced me onto a car. They were awfully rough, showing no willingness to resolve my issues.”

Wang began petitioning when her partner was murdered. Ever since then she has been seeking justice for his death, she spoke of her experiences (recording):
“I have been detained over 100 times, kidnapped to mental hospitals or drug rehabilitation institutes on numerous occasions, and sent to labour camps three times.”

Wang said her mobile phone could be snatched from her at any time, leaving her with no access to the outside world. She hopes her efforts will bring attention to her situation and her safety.

Feng Yongji, a petitioner from Xinjiang Province, was illegally detained in Shanghai at an office respresenting Shihezi City of Xinjiang. She said (recording),
“I’d rather stay at the assistance centre than come here, but they forced me into the car.”

Feng couldn’t understand why the authorities were dealing out such heavy security (recording):
“The Prime Minister said let justice be sunnier, let ordinary Chinese citizens have more dignity. Does sunny mean arresting people at will? Is this dignity?”

Feng began appealing because her husband was wrongly sentenced to nine years imprisonment. Her husband was later set free and she began petitioning for compensation. For that she was detained and sent to labour camps many times.

Ma Yongtian from Jilin Province who was also detained told reporters (recording),
“We are still at the assistance centre. There are four of us left.”

Ma said local authorities from Jilin were getting ready to take her away.

Peng Jingmei from Datong, Shanxi Province was the last petitioner to be released from the assistance centre.

Fu Ming and Li Ming of the SOH Radio Network.

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A miner from 460 goldmine debilitated by pneumoconiosis, also known as 'black lung disease'.

A hundred miners terminally ill from poor conditions

Nearly one hundred miners in Gansu Province have contracted ‘black lung disease’, also known as pneumoconiosis, a condition prevalent among miners. The case occurred at the number 460 goldmine on Mazhong Mountain in Jiuquan City. Families of victims spoke to SOH reporters saying there was no proper protection against dust inhalation in the mine. Many families have incurred major debts paying for treatment. Victims now are unable to work and many are terminal.

The number 460 goldmine on Mazhong Mountain was a fresh opportunity for many impoverished villagers. Villagers gathered from surrounding towns like Heisongyi Town, Shuigou, Xuanma River, and Xizhuanzi. They all found however poor conditions and corrupt management. The mine itself is devoid of effective dust prevention measures, protective equipment or ventilation. For six years one miner after another developed pneumoconiosis or what’s more commonly known as black lung disease.

Yu Tianyue from Shuigou village said his father, Yu Qinghai worked many years in the 460 goldmine. Last year he found out he had pneumoconiosis. Apparently the disease has no effective cure.

Yu Tianyue described his father’s condition (recording):
“It doesn’t work with medicine and becomes more serious every day, it’s getting very serious and the expense is huge. He has difficulty breathing after walking a few steps and breathes heavily afterwards, he can hardly breathe and coughs terribly. The minimal insurance cover only covers a few hundred dollars, it basically isn’t enough. He’s worked many years in the Mazhong mine, the powder from rocks is particularly dusty, and it’s the reason behind the disease. There is no dust prevention equipment as the owner wants to save money.”

Yu Tianyue revealed to us that victims often can’t continue working due to their condition. Consequently they struggle to support their families or send their children to school. It is now commonplace seeing teenagers leave to work in other cities to support the family.

Yu Tianyue told us (recording):
“Many people in the village go there for work, and they only breathe pure air a few days at a time. There is now medical aid. There are no contracts and they reject our pleas, there is nowhere to appeal. There are thirty to forty year older fellows suffering from the disease in our village. Many cannot go to work but they are the main breadwinners for the family, many children go to school but there is no financial source.”

Mr Li from Miaotai village, a worker of the mine, said his father Li Fayu and six of his uncles all suffered pneumoconiosis, one of them passed away last year. He said the goldmine was located in a remote area and there were little water supplies. The management often provide very poor meals, and water is often of very bad quality.

Mr Li spoke to our reporter (recording):
“The condition of this mine is extremely bad; in order to conserve production costs the owner avoids implementing protective measures. The masks provided are of inferior quality. We breathe in dust from the rocks into our lungs. Because we don’t understand contracts, we are exhausted from working in that place. We can’t even earn a few hundred dollars a month and can’t support our families. Further the owner often deducts fees from our wages. They go up the mountain for six month stretches, we are migrant workers and don’t know how to defend our rights.”

Mr Li also said his family has supported his treatment. Now they are in debt, and many families become penniless and incur debt.

He said (recording):
“There is no machinery for the farm work on the mountain, they all use bulls to plough fields. We can’t work using our own strength; we even need our relatives and friends to help. This is very difficult for the family… we also have to spend money on medicine and families are falling apart, just like our family. My uncle’s family is the same; the people who work in the mines all face this problem. Firstly spend the money earned on the disease, then borrow money from friends and relatives after all the money is gone, and then wait to die after all the money is spent.”

There are over five hundred mining corporations in the Jiuquan region of Gansu. Illegal mining is commonplace. The owner of the 460 goldmine, Pan Zhanlin, also happens to be a representative of Suzhou in the National People’s Congress. Originally the company was approved to mine an area of 0.5 square km. The mine has currently exploited over 50 square km. At present three people have died from pneumoconiosis in Miaotai village, and there’s one death in the neighbouring Shuigou village.

Wang Zhen and Lu Fang of the SOH Radio Network.

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Tan Zuoren has recently been sentenced to five years imprisonment for his opinions on the 1989 Tiananmen Square Massacre. There are suspicions however the arrests are designed to silence his call for an investigation into the 2008 Sichuan Earthquake.

- Investigator into ‘tofu – buildings’ convicted
- Thousands of bird flu patients left undiagnosed in Daqing
- Workers protest in Suizhou, Hubei over wages

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Investigator into ‘tofu – buildings’ convicted

Tan Zuoren, author and famous environmentalist of Sichuan Province, has been sentenced to five years imprisonment. He was convicted of inciting subversion of state power, allegedly for criticizing the Chinese Communist Party over it’s handling of the 1989 Tiananmen Square Massacre. Tan Zuoren’s wife and lawyer said they would appeal the decision.

The sentence was handed down at the Chengdu Intermediate People’s Court, after just five minutes deliberation. Tan’s wife and two daughters weren’t allowed in the court. Police dispersed a crowd of 200 supporters outside. Tan’s lawyer, Pu Zhiqiang said he was ‘heart broken and shattered’ about the trial.

Pu told SOH (recording):
“The sentence is for subversion of the state, he was sentenced to five years prison, three of those years without any political rights. This is an extreme case of punishing people for their speech. The conviction was handed down due to an article he wrote commemorating the June 4th Tiananmen Square incident, titled ‘Witnessing the Last Beauty’, which was published overseas online. He also started a blood donation drive for the (Sichuan) earthquake in Tiananmen Square on the eve of the 20th anniversary. To commemorate the spirit of the demonstrations, he accepted an interview with Sound of Hope Radio. The authorities believe these acts posed a threat to the government of the People’s Republic of China, and sentenced him to prison just for his words. Five years for some words, this is sad and heart-breaking.”

Pu Zhiqiang told the Financial Times that none of them imagined the court would avoid mentioning the Tan’s involvement with the 2008 Sichuan Earthquake and ended up convicting him based on his Tiananmen Square involvement.

Ran Yunfei, an author from Chengdu, and Chen Yunfei, a pro-democracy activist, both planned to sit in court on the day. They’re both however under house arrest. When interviewed Ran Yunfei said (recording):
“This is absurd; it’s shameless, and completely illegal. Tan Zuoren is not guilty of anything; he didn’t commit any crime, and is the country’s best citizen. This is an absurd conviction by the court.”

Chen Yunfei said (recording):
“I used to think the government was ignorant of the law, but now, after sentencing of Tan Zuoren, I think they’re completely shameless. They’ve actually done a favor for Tan Zuoren, by letting the whole world know how much Tan sacrificed for Chinese people, and for its democracy and freedom. This sentence acknowledges the government’s attack on him.”

Tan, 55, is a well known writer and environmentalist in China. After the May 12th 2008 Sichuan Earthquake, he went to the disaster area to visit the parents of student victims. He also collected data on the deaths of the students. Last February, Tan wrote a proposal titled the ‘Profiles on the May 12th Students’ calling for an investigation into the quality of the construction of school buildings, which collapsed during the quake. He wanted ‘to ensure accurate and detailed information on every student, every class, every school, every township, and every county and city involved.’ Following that, on March 28th 2009, the police arrested Tan on charges of ‘inciting subversion of state power’. It’s believed his recent conviction may be a means to silence him about this issue, according to Roseann Rife, Asia-Pacific deputy director at Amnesty International.

Chris Thomas of the SOH Radio Network.

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Thousands of bird flu patients left undiagnosed in Daqing

Hospitals in Daqing of Heilongjiang province are prohibited from giving bird flu diagnoses. Patients with bird flu are instead diagnosed with unknown pneumonia. Doctors say cases peaked with nearly ten thousand patients with bird flu symptoms. The death toll remains unknown.

Bird flu-like cases first appeared locally in May 2009. These cases spiked during September and October. But the Health Department circulated a document that forbade hospitals from diagnosing bird flu.

A doctor from Daqing General Hospital said (recording),
“We have no authority to confirm this. The Health Department files specified that only the city government can confirm suspects. There are too many patients; we have nearly ten thousand. After they are hospitalized, we send all samples to the Provincial Disease Control Center for tests. We do not have facilities to conduct any of the tests.”

Another doctor at the same Hospital said (recording),
“Patients come in based on suspicion. They are identified with an unknown pneumonia and kept for in-patient treatment. There were two to three hundred a day during peak time.”

One doctor from the Fever Clinic at the Daqing General Hospital told reporters, (recording),
“Initially, we sent all fever patients to the Hospital for Infectious Diseases. Later on the hospital became full. A document was circulated and now we take them all. Patients are taken in at A&E. Those with severe symptoms are taken in at ICU. There have been cases of death. I don’t know whether they were eventually reported as unknown pneumonia or bird flu, because patients went to different wards. I am unclear on exactly how many were reported.”

A doctor from the Second Hospital in Daqing agreed and said, (recording),
“We identify the cases as bird flu but can not give the diagnosis. Only the Disease Control Center can diagnose bird flu. We don’t have the information. We have taken patients in the past, when the Disease Control Center confirmed the diagnosis and sent them over. I don’t know exactly how many cases of bird flu have been diagnosed.”

Perry Luo, Yu Shan and Zhang Lina of the SOH Radio Network.

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Workers protest in Suizhou, Hubei over wages

Hundreds of migrant workers protested in Suizhou, Hubei Province on February 8th. They blocked roads in front of the city hall demanding basic wages.

Disgruntled workers began arriving at the city hall at nine a.m. and held banners. They blocked a main highway and motorbikes were used to block the exits of the Suizhou City Hall. Despite police already being at the scene, unhappy workers continued to arrive. This was the second day of protests and road blockades over wage issues.

Prominent civil rights activist Mr. Liu Feiyue was available to shed light on the situation, he said (recording):
“The financial situation of the proprietor and company isn’t clear. But the wages for several hundred migrant workers are overdue, it’s possible there are overdue payments of several thousand dollars or even greater. It’s the end of year and everyone wants to go home and celebrate a peaceful and auspicious year. They want to buy presents for their families. Their wages haven’t been paid however, so they have no choice but to do this”

Liu Feiyue believes employment contracts often leave migrant workers in a vulnerable position. These problems can’t be addressed due to collusion between government officials and businesspeople.

He said (recording):
“Because they’re migrant workers, they’re in a vulnerable position. Also, some business owners or directors collude with officials to do money deals. This is why the migrant workers have their interests sacrificed, and wages easily go unpaid.”
Liu Feiyue also said since the Chinese Communist Party came to power, the morality of Chinese people has been sliding. The authorities are greater than the law, and that’s why violations of the law continue.

He said (recording):
“Under these conditions, it becomes a common practice in modern Chinese society, with a bad moral system, violations of the law and no respect for the law, the law will be regarded as nothing but sheets of paper.”

Craig Richter, Fu Ming and Yu Ning of the SOH Radio Network.

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Police say they will fight for their right to live.

Police protest lack of compensation after dismissal

On November 16th, nearly one hundred police in Hubei Province gathered in front of the municipal government building. They braved rain and snow to protest their unfair dismissal in 1995 that left them with no pension, medical insurance or any other source of income. They asked the government to re-instate their status and give them proper compensation. Their banners read slogans like, “Strongly condemn the government’s non-action. Firmly destroy the protection of corrupt power.”

After heated negotiations, officials in the Complaints Bureau promised an answer within one month. SOH interviewed one of the protestors, Wei Qunhua on November 20th. He had this to say, “All were employed as police in 1987 through selection of personnel files and tests results. Eighteen years was the longest tenure. According to relevant governmental regulations, they should have been given the status of permanent employees. But 86 status quotas were secretly sold or given to his beneficiaries by the former Qianjiang Municipal Party Secretary.”

After their dismissal, these police were not compensated and had to find odd  jobs to support themselves. Dismissed policeman Huang Xinqiang barely sustained himself as an unskilled laborer. He contracted pneumonia but had no money for treatment. His condition got worse daily and, eventually. he died at home.

His daughter-in-law said (Recording),

“These police have appealed many times to various levels of government to no avail. After the 1st of October of this year, six went to Beijing to appeal. When the government got wind of this, the Deputy Political Commissar of the Public Security Bureau flew to Beijing with his gang to round up the six and escort them back.”

The protesters said they are determined to fight for their right to live.

Caden Pearson; Keith Ware and Tian Xi for the SOH Radio Network.

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Thousands of laid off workers protest over corruption

Over eight factories in Datong City are bankrupt and have shut down. Ten thousand workers are out of work. On November 21st, many of these workers gathered publicly demanding government aid. They have received no reply. The rally was monitored by 1000 police officers.
On November 26th a laid-off cement factory worker spoke to SOH. He said at about 8am, the crowd numbers were at its peak. They occupied the centre of a public square and blocked traffic. The crowd was forced to disperse and police are now monitoring the area.

He told SOH (Recording):
“There were frequent gatherings a few days ago. Over ten thousand people gathered and one thousand police officers. They didn’t arrest anyone, and only urged us to go. They would stare at you if you didn’t start moving. The place was full of police.”

Another laid-off worker revealed that many workers lost their jobs after the company went bankrupt. He told SOH (Recording):
“This factory was sold to another company. Two other factories were sold to a cement factory in Jinzhong. No one is handling the aftermath. There are many former workers with no money, even for treating illnesses. Some have killed themselves, some have starved to death. One person had cancer and had no money for treatment, how could he not kill himself? Many young people have starved to death.”

Another worker said he couldn’t pay the bills at home. He said (Recording):
“We have no heater or working stove at home. We’ve had no water since May. Many other workers have moved away from their homes. We have nowhere to go so we must freeze. It’s been three to four months without pay. They don’t help with medical expenses or insurance. My sons have gone without pay for two to three months. They’re from bankrupt factories also and some have turned to theft. What can be done? Society is in chaos.”

One worker told SOH, the factory foreman had embezzled funds, spending it on luxury cars, mistresses and sending his children abroad. He told SOH (Recording):
“Corruption has seen several thousand dollars spent on wine. An official sent (their children) to England. He spent thousands on his child’s schooling and also brought a Mini car. We have a leader here who spent about 1 million, and he travels several times a year. They buy extravagant gifts using millions of dollars from our factory but do not pay any compensation, not even a pair of gloves.”

The laid-off workers have petitioned to all levels of the government without result. Instead people were arrested by the Police.
(Recording): No use going to Beijing, you will be arrested back here by City police after going there and detained by the Public Security Bureau. More than 10 were arrested from our factory. We tried to call the TV station but no one paid any attention to us.

Mainland factories changed systems becoming bankrupt, while officials practiced corruption. This forced workers to buyout their length of service leading towards a struggled survival. This was the reason behind the crowd incident in Datong, and petitioning in Beijing .

Chris Thomas; and Tian Qi of the SOH Radio Network.

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Former Canadian statesman David Kilgour says the landmark court decision in Spain against five CCP members signals that the world will not accept genocide or crimes against humanity.

- Spanish Court makes crucial ruling on Falun Gong persecutors

- Police protest against unfair dismissal

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Spanish Court makes crucial ruling on Falun Gong persecutors

The Spanish State Court made an unprecedented ruling recently, indicting top five former Chinese Communist leaders responsible for the persecution of the Falun Gong spiritual practice. The five indicted, Jiang Zemin, Luo Gan, Bo Xilai, Jia Qinglin, and Wu Guanzheng, are facing charges of genocide and torture.

According to the ruling, the defendants have 4-6 weeks to respond. If there is no objection to the indictment, the court would then issue an international arrest warrant. David Kilgour, a world renowned Canadian statesman, is interviewed on this case. According to Mr Kilgour, this is a very significant step forward in establishing rule of law worldwide and eventually, in China.

Mr Kilgour states (recording):
“I think it’s a very significant step, it shows that a country that has an excellent rule of law tradition. Has ruled that the five officials in the party should be shown the documents and possibly arrested, including Jiang Zemin the former President, and Bo Xilai. And a number of very senior people. I think that’s an excellent step forward in terms of establishing the rule of law in the world, and hopefully eventually in China.”

Mr Kilgour also talked about the impact this will have on the Chinese Communist regime, he says (recording):
“Well what I think it will do is it will send a signal to those five individuals that they better not travel anyway outside of China, or perhaps Burma, or maybe Sudan, or possibly North Korea. But more than that, it will send a signal to the senior members of the party that this terrible crime against humanity that they’re doing to the Falun Gong in China is going to see them brought to justice”

He also makes strong recommendations to the current Chinese regime to cease any connections with those indicted, and to stop the persecution of Falun Gong and the acts of organ harvesting immediately.

As for the impact on the international community from the court’s ruling, Mr Kilgour has this to say, (recording):
“Well I think it will get noticed around the world, it will certainly be noticed in China, and it will certainly be noticed in Europe. And I would hope in North America, Latin America, Africa and Asia. And hope that around the world people will begin to see that a Court of law has ruled that what’s happened to Falun Gong community in China is unacceptable and it must be stopped and the people involved with it will be brought to justice. And that’s the most important message, that the world can no longer accept this kind of crime against humanity or genocide or whatever you want to call it.”

David Kilgour was formally a Canadian cabinet member, a member of the parliament, an official of the Asian Pacific affairs in the Canadian government, and a prosecutor in human rights affairs. In July of 2006, Mr Kilgour and David Matas, a well known Canadian human rights lawyer, published an investigative report titled, “REPORT INTO ALLEGATIONS OF ORGAN HARVESTING OF FALUN GONG PRACTITIONERS IN CHINA”, which shocked the world after its publication. According to the report, “large scale organ harvesting that is against the will of Falun Gong practitioners is still in existence, and is still on going.”

Perry Luo; Qin Yue; and Li Yuhan of the SOH Radio Network.

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Police protest against unfair dismissal

On November 16th over 100 police officers protested in Qianjiang City of Hubei Province. They braved the snow and rain to gather in front of the municipal government building. The protest was over the unfair dismissal of these officers in 1995 leaving them with no pension, medical insurance or any other source of income. They’re demanding their positions be reinstated and proper compensation granted. Officials from the Complaints Bureau promised to respond to their demands in one month’s time.

The police officers carried banners reading, ‘Strong condemnation of the government’s non-action. Destroy the protection of corrupt power.’ On November 20th, a former police officer Wei Qunhua spoke to SOH.

He said (Recording):
“The Deputy Commissioner of the Municipal Public Security Bureau, Mei Jinghan, came to the site with a dozen others. Arguments broke out during the negotiations. Finally the government promised a written answer in one month’s time.”

All officers were employed in 1987. They were chosen based on personnel files and test results. Eighteen years was the longest tenure. According to government regulations, they should have been considered permanent employees. However 86 officers had their positions given away by the former Qianjiang Municipal Party Secretary. Wei claims to have evidence of this.

He said (Recording):
“After their dismissals, these police never received any compensation. Due to their age and lack of skills, they’re forced look for casual jobs everywhere.”

Dismissed police officer Huang Xinqiang sustained himself as an unskilled laborer. He contracted pneumonia but had no money for treatment. His condition got worse daily and he eventually died at home.

His daughter-in-law spoke to SOH saying many former police officers had appealed many times to various levels of the government with no success. After October 1st this year, six officers visited Beijing to appeal. When the government got wind of this, the Deputy Political Commissar of the Public Security Bureau flew to Beijing with a team and rounded up the six, escorting them back home.

The protesters say they’re determined to fight for their right to live.

Chris Thomas, and Tian Xi of the SOH Radio Network.

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