www.newsandletters.org
|
|
|
NEWS & LETTERS, August-September 2001 China miners protest The hype surrounding China's Olympic bid was dispelled by reports from the coal mines. On July 22, an explosion in a privately run "illegal" mine in Jiangsu province killed over 90 miners. Local officials allegedly were ordered to shut down all small coal mines by the end of June, in a government-launched "safety campaign." Officially, 5,300 miners were killed last year, but independent labor rights groups estimate up to 10,000. Earlier, on July 9, 10,000 miners, along with their families, other workers and retirees, organized a protest in Jilin province, demanding back pay due for 17-30 months. They blocked the main rail line between Harbin and Jilin city for most of the morning, holding up six trains. Officials dispatched riot police but they did not initially attempt to remove the protesters. According to the Hong Kong Information Center for Human Rights and Democracy, one miner said the government should give more money to help improve the lives of workers and their families instead of spending huge amounts to stage the 2008 Olympics. |
|
Home l News & Letters Newspaper l Back issues l News and Letters Committees l Dialogues l Raya Dunayevskaya l Contact us l Search Published by News and Letters Committees |
