# Thirty-one men rescued who were held as slaves in Chinese factory **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 10, 2007, 8:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thirty-one-men-rescued-who-were-held-as-slaves-in-chinese-factory/407445 "2007-06-10T08:46:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Maastricht](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e57/32.png) [@Maastricht](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maastricht)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2007, 8:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thirty-one-men-rescued-who-were-held-as-slaves-in-chinese-factory/407445/1 "2007-06-10T08:46:40Z")
From the [BBC:](http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6733045.stm) > [@](#): > > When police raided the brickworks they discovered foul-smelling workers who had been held captive for a year. The labourers had to work unpaid for 20 hours at a time, slept on the worksite, and were only given bread and water in return. They had not been able to wash and had been wearing the smae clothes for a year. One man was even reported to have been beaten to death with a hammer, because he did not work fast enough. They had burns over their bodies after being made to carry bricks that had not cooled down properly. > Eight workers were so traumatised by their experiences that they were only able to remember their names. > > Police are now arranging for the workers to get the wages they should have been paid, and then they will send them home, although the eight disorientated workers cannot remember where that is. > > Local people said the brickworks, near Linfen, would have been closed down a long time ago had it not been for the protection of the party secretary. The picture with the article breaks my heart. I wish the factory owners a lifetime of dragging hot bricks twenty hours a day, on only water and bread, and be killed with a hammer when they are too old. And I want to find some relief bankaccount where I can donate some money for these poor men. There’s no limit to how cruel people can be. Thank God these men at least have been rescued. ---
**Author:** ![DMark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2007, 9:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thirty-one-men-rescued-who-were-held-as-slaves-in-chinese-factory/407445/2 "2007-06-10T09:00:29Z")
I cannot think of a punishment evil enough for the people who put these men through that…but I hope the Chinese authorities can think of something - perhaps a torture involving water? On the one hand, I commend the Chinese for discovering this horrible situation and freeing the men. On the other hand, I wonder if there are a lot more places like this that might continue to operate, given the correct bribes to the correct authorities. Then again - you read about this stuff happening all over the world - in the USA or Africa and Europe…sadly, human cruelty and slave labor is without borders. ---
**Author:** ![Ice\_Wolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/dfb087/32.png) [@Ice\_Wolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ice_Wolf)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2007, 9:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thirty-one-men-rescued-who-were-held-as-slaves-in-chinese-factory/407445/3 "2007-06-10T09:01:16Z")
The poor blighters. ☹ Hope they chuck the book at that guy who owned the place. ---
**Author:** ![Martini\_Enfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/martini_enfield/32/11123_2.png) [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2007, 9:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thirty-one-men-rescued-who-were-held-as-slaves-in-chinese-factory/407445/4 "2007-06-10T09:10:08Z")
That’s indescribably fucked up- I’m glad the men have been freed and will get their back wages, though. On another note, did anyone else see [the article linked from the one in the OP?](http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/from_our_own_correspondent/6734469.stm) Wish I had my own Cargo Cult, mutter mutter… ---
**Author:** ![Maastricht](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e57/32.png) [@Maastricht](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maastricht)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2007, 9:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thirty-one-men-rescued-who-were-held-as-slaves-in-chinese-factory/407445/5 "2007-06-10T09:31:07Z")
I am annoyed at my own annoyance, but **Martini** , why the lightheartedness only three posts in this thread? It may be a cultural thing, but I feel that what has been done to these men is just as awful as it would have been if children had been kidnapped and tortured and exploited for a year. Just because these men were adults doesn’t make their suffering any less awful; if anything it makes it worse. These men are fully aware of their suffering, while kids can make up a fantasy; they were just as helpless as kids are; and they also had families worried sick about them. ---
**Author:** ![China\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@China\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/China_Guy)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2007, 9:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thirty-one-men-rescued-who-were-held-as-slaves-in-chinese-factory/407445/6 "2007-06-10T09:48:36Z")
Link doesn’t work for me, but if it makes anyone feel better, someone responsible will probably get a bullet in the back of the head. The local party secretary gets held responsible more often than one would normally expect and may in this case. There are plenty of human rights abuses in China, but egrarious behavior such as this usually ends up with pretty swift justice when someone high enough the justice chain finds out about it. ---
**Author:** ![Martini\_Enfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/martini_enfield/32/11123_2.png) [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2007, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thirty-one-men-rescued-who-were-held-as-slaves-in-chinese-factory/407445/7 "2007-06-10T12:55:12Z")
[QUOTE=Maastricht] I am annoyed at my own annoyance, but **Martini** , why the lightheartedness only three posts in this thread? It may be a cultural thing, but I feel that what has been done to these men is just as awful as it would have been if children had been kidnapped and tortured and exploited for a year. Just because these men were adults doesn’t make their suffering any less awful; if anything it makes it worse. These men are fully aware of their suffering, while kids can make up a fantasy; they were just as helpless as kids are; and they also had families worried sick about them. [/QUOTE] The juxtaposition between this horrible outrage and the BBC linking at the end of the article to a report on Prince Philip having his own Cargo Cult is (to me, at least) incredibly amusing, especially if you know anything about Prince Philip and his [somewhat colourful turns of phrase](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_Philip#Controversial_remarks). I guess I’m just an absurdist like that. None of this should detract from the ghastliness of what those men have suffered, however. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2007, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thirty-one-men-rescued-who-were-held-as-slaves-in-chinese-factory/407445/8 "2007-06-10T14:58:40Z")
Hmmm…from Proletarian Revolution 24/7 to Corporate Slave Labor, in 15 years. Then again, China has been/was one big slave labor camp for a long time. ---
**Author:** ![lavenderviolet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/cdc98d/32.png) [@lavenderviolet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lavenderviolet)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2007, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thirty-one-men-rescued-who-were-held-as-slaves-in-chinese-factory/407445/9 "2007-06-10T15:38:24Z")
That is really horrifying. It’s scary to think about how much brutality still occurs around the world in this day and age. > [@](#): > > I want to find some relief bankaccount where I can donate some money for these poor men Well, if nothing else, it’d be worthwhile to look into donating to a human rights organization in their honor, at least in the hope that someone else can be spared from enduring this sort of treatment. ---
**Author:** ![Autolycus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/22d042/32.png) [@Autolycus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Autolycus)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2007, 5:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thirty-one-men-rescued-who-were-held-as-slaves-in-chinese-factory/407445/10 "2007-06-11T05:51:14Z")
Sometimes people really suck donkey balls ☹ ---
**Author:** ![pool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pool/32/4152_2.png) [@pool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pool)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2007, 6:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thirty-one-men-rescued-who-were-held-as-slaves-in-chinese-factory/407445/11 "2007-06-11T06:45:40Z")
Very terrible, but at least these men were saved and hopefully the guilty parties will get whats coming to them. ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2007, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thirty-one-men-rescued-who-were-held-as-slaves-in-chinese-factory/407445/12 "2007-06-11T16:56:13Z")
> [@Link in OP](#): > > Police are now arranging for the workers to get the wages they should have been paid Excuse me, wages? What about overtime, pain and suffering, compensation for what may be extensive physical and mental ailments? Sorry, but a correct paycheck is the _LEAST_ of what these poor guys should get. ---
**Author:** ![Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e480ec/32.png) [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Least_Original_User_Name_Ever)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2007, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thirty-one-men-rescued-who-were-held-as-slaves-in-chinese-factory/407445/13 "2007-06-11T17:27:34Z")
[QUOTE=ivylass] Excuse me, wages? What about overtime, pain and suffering, compensation for what may be extensive physical and mental ailments? Sorry, but a correct paycheck is the _LEAST_ of what these poor guys should get. [/QUOTE] Well, it’s certainly a decent start. Hopefully there’s help for them and their nasty, nasty trauma. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2007, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thirty-one-men-rescued-who-were-held-as-slaves-in-chinese-factory/407445/14 "2007-06-11T18:23:36Z")
[QUOTE=ivylass] Excuse me, wages? What about overtime, pain and suffering, compensation for what may be extensive physical and mental ailments? Sorry, but a correct paycheck is the _LEAST_ of what these poor guys should get. [/QUOTE] I don’t speak Chinese, but in Spain when someone says “las pagas debidas” (which would be translated into English as “wages owed”) that would mean including overtime, seniority, vacation comp et al. Could be the same with Chinese, that the concept is just not identical to your “wages”. Way nasty. How bad off do you have to be to remember only your name? ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2007, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thirty-one-men-rescued-who-were-held-as-slaves-in-chinese-factory/407445/15 "2007-06-11T18:29:01Z")
[QUOTE=Maastricht] I am annoyed at my own annoyance, but **Martini** , why the lightheartedness only three posts in this thread? [/QUOTE] I dunno, I am not suprised some people react to horrible news with humor. It’s not that we don’t feel the pain, it’s just that sometimes if you don’t laugh, you cry. For some of us, it’s a defence mechanism. ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2007, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thirty-one-men-rescued-who-were-held-as-slaves-in-chinese-factory/407445/16 "2007-06-11T23:50:59Z")
It makes a part of me weep inside to see another human treated so cruelly. A bullet to the back of the perps who did this is far to kind, yet to treat them as they treated their own kind is inhumane. I think the only course for justice is whomever is responsible should lose all their assets ( going to these men) and, in turn, become homeless themselves. Then, maybe, they will learn compassion and humanity. I’m trying to find an email for the writer of the article, Michael Bristow BBC Beijing News. Maybe he could do a follow up with some kind of info on donations to a humanintarian outfit that may be assisting them. So far, no luck. ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2007, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thirty-one-men-rescued-who-were-held-as-slaves-in-chinese-factory/407445/17 "2007-06-12T01:23:53Z")
I’m just always amazed at how anyone can _be_ a slave in the 21st Century. I mean, you’d think that it just wouldn’t _work_, either from the slaves not being “willing” to go along with being slaves, or from people having gotten to the point of realizing how immoral such an action is, and thus _not_ doing it to begin with. Obviously, that’s _not_ the case. Still, I gotta admit, if I could have a slave to empty the cats’ litter boxes, I’d probably have one. Don’t hit me. ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2007, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thirty-one-men-rescued-who-were-held-as-slaves-in-chinese-factory/407445/18 "2007-06-22T20:17:29Z")
[More arrests made.](http://www.denverpost.com/nationworld/ci_6204336) > [@](#): > > China announced more arrests and a provincial governor apologized Friday as the government stepped up efforts to try to show it was responding to a growing slave labor scandal. > > Amid the host of new revelations, media said slavery ringleaders were hiding child laborers and charging ransoms for their release. Many had been abducted from train stations and sold for as little as $65 to illegal brick kilns. > > The scandal shows little sign of abating, despite repeated calls for investigations by top leaders and apparent attempts to limit additional coverage in state media. With Internet users and some media outlets expressing outrage, Premier Wen Jiabao could see his reputation tarnished for failing to follow through on his public image as defender of the underprivileged. ---
**Author:** ![China\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@China\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/China_Guy)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2007, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thirty-one-men-rescued-who-were-held-as-slaves-in-chinese-factory/407445/19 "2007-06-23T02:06:26Z")
This is and has been front page news in China。 this will be made into a BIG example， and yes， I fully expect to see quite a few cases of capital punishment。 Just to explain a little bit， the victims are all probably from the impoverished countryside， didn‘t have cell phones and uneducated。 I’m guessing it started out with very long hours and bad conditions， and finally when even these poor ignorant peasants had enough then it turned real nasty。 These people maybe have one phone or mobile phone servicing their entire village。 They go to find work， their families don’t know their location as they move around， and probably didn‘t have the opportunity to get word back home when they got sucked into the trap。 ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2007, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thirty-one-men-rescued-who-were-held-as-slaves-in-chinese-factory/407445/20 "2007-06-23T02:11:28Z")
[QUOTE=China Guy] This is and has been front page news in China。 this will be made into a BIG example, and yes, I fully expect to see quite a few cases of capital punishment. [/QUOTE] Which, if they execute the ones directly responsible for this, will be a fitting punishment, IMHO. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thirty-one-men-rescued-who-were-held-as-slaves-in-chinese-factory/407445.md?page=2)