A dozen people are accused of being involved

Jul 4, 2007

BEIJING, July 4 (Reuters) - Trials began on Wednesday for nearly a dozen people accused of involvement in a slavery scandal in China that has caused a national outcry over brutal working conditions at rural brick kilns.

China announced a crackdown on enslavement and child labour last month after reports hundreds of farmers, teenagers and some children had been forced or lured to work in kilns and mines in northern Shanxi province and the central province of Henan.

Workers endured prison-like confinement where guards patrolled with fierce dogs and subjected workers to beatings, local media reported. TV news video showed released workers with emaciated bodies and festering wounds.

An official at Linfen Intermediate People's Court in Shanxi told Reuters that trials had begun for kiln owner Wang Bingbing, a supervisor, Heng Tinghan, and some hired guards and enforcers.

They faced various charges including illegal detention, forced labour and mayhem, the court official said.

State media had reported that Wang was the son of a local Communist Party boss, and that the kiln supervisor, Heng, had accidentally killed a child with a shovel and hid the body.

Chinese media, saying some local government officials and police colluded with brick kilns owners, have called for resignations of those involved amid widespread public outrage over the scandal.

It was not immediately clear whether any officials faced trial. Chinese courts typically do not announce trial details until after verdicts have been given.

Police have detained more than 130 people, and more than 500 workers were released, according to state media.

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