Related News

Home » Nation

Earlier Foxconn deaths 'covered up'

TWO deaths of workers at a central China Foxconn factory earlier this year were covered up until a recent spate of suicides in the company's Shenzhen factory fueled concern about its management.

Rong Bo, 19, fell to his death from a dormitory at Foxconn's mobile phone factory in Langfang City. Forty-five days later, 16-year-old Wang Lingyan died in bed on her first day of her work at the same factory, Xinhua news agency reported today.

Their deaths were a forbidden topic among the factory's 30,000 employees for more than three months, the report said. The Party boss of Langfang's Anci District was invited to help cover up their deaths.

The factory sent a letter to Foxconn headquarters in Taiwan after Wang died, saying: "The victims' families were taken care of, the press was under control, and there's no need to worry," Xinhua said.

A factory worker surnamed Li said Rong's face was smashed beyond recognition after he jumped. The factory had to round up all the workers and see who was missing. Other workers were told that Rong committed suicide and he died peacefully.

Yet Rong's father Rong Fanyin insisted his son was killed and doubted the suicide explanation because a note left beside his bed read: "You are a bastard."

The father said he had taken 150,000 yuan (US$21,972) from the company and signed a contract promising to remain silent. Four months after Rong Bo died, Foxconn did not complete the payment, the report said.

Wang's death was said to be a heart attack by Langfang People's Hospital. The girl had fake ID that said she was 22, and her family was compensated with 110,000 yuan.

While the deaths have put the spotlight on factory life, a video clip online shows more than 20 Foxconn security guards beating up its own workers in a Beijing factory.

An official with Beijing Foxconn who refused to give his name confirmed yesterday that the video was shot in its factory last year. He said he didn't know what caused the fight and what happened to the security guards afterwards.



 

Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.

沪公网安备 31010602000204号

Email this to your friend