"SLAVE LABOR" SCANDAL HITS CHINA AGAIN: 33 FORCED

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 SHENYANG 000036 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR EAP/CM, DRL, G/TIP E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/20/2018 TAGS: PHUM PGOV ELAB GTIP KCRM ECON CH SUBJECT: "SLAVE LABOR" SCANDAL HITS CHINA AGAIN: 33 FORCED LABORERS DISCOVERED IN HEILONGJIANG Classified By: CONSUL GENERAL STEPHEN B. WICKMAN. REASONS: 1.4(b)/(d). ¶1. (U) SUMMARY: Authorities in Heilongjiang Province announced yesterday that they discovered 33 migrant "slave laborers" held captive and coerced to work--some for as long as three years--in a suburb of the provincial capital. Initial reports claim the captors "systematically" targeted vulnerable migrant workers, many mentally disabled, and subjugated them through violence. This is not the first "slave labor" scandal to hit Harbin; police late last year freed another six migrant workers living under similar circumstances. Chinese websites are displaying an interest in this latest, quickly-evolving story reminiscent of last year's larger-scale forced labor in the brick kilns of Shanxi Province. END SUMMARY. "SLAVE LABOR" IN HARBIN: THE DETAILS THUS FAR -------------- ¶2. (U) Authorities in Heilongjiang Province detained several individuals suspected of holding over 30 migrants captive, forcing them to work--some for as long as three years--in what preliminary Chinese media reports describe as "slave"-like conditions. Official national and local media announced yesterday that police in the provincial capital of Harbin last week found 33 "slave laborers" confined in a squalid 30-square-meter room. The discovery was made only after nearby residents found another captive laborer who had either fallen or jumped to his death from the window of the apartment building where the men were being held. Many were either mentally disabled or of diminished capacity when found, according to reports; police told journalists most could not communicate their names, ages and other identifying information. Initial reports claim the captors "systematically" targeted vulnerable migrant workers in transport stations throughout northeast China and, through false promises of employment, lured their victims to a suburb of Harbin where they were subsequently forced to work long hours at construction jobs without remuneration. Attempted escapes met with severe beating, according to a Xinhua reporter who interviewed a migrant-turned-"guard" who himself had been seized by the group last year and was ultimately enlisted as a captor through promises of remuneration. ¶2. (U) Details remain unclear, although the youngest laborer mentioned thus far is 20 years of age. He and his fellow captives hailed not just from Heilongjiang but throughout the country, including Hebei, Inner Mongolia, Jilin and Sichuan. Harbin authorities swiftly repatriated some of the migrant laborers to their home provinces, and announced that the government would help find employment for those who elect to remain in Harbin. According to one online report, seven former captives who elected to stay already received jobs--at either a brick factory or a cattle farm--but Post has not been able to confirm this development. Other reports suggest Civil Affairs officials in Harbin still have custody of several whose mental capacity precluded identity determination. Police remain on the lookout for the captors' ringleader. NOT HEILONGJIANG'S FIRST SUCH SCANDAL -------------- ¶3. (U) This is not the first "slave labor" scandal to hit Harbin or, more precisely, Harbin's notorious Hulan District--the northern suburb where the workers were held. In November 2007, Harbin police freed six migrant workers lured by false employment prospects and coerced to work for eight months for just RMB 50 (USD 7),according to a report by the Heilongjiang Morning News later that month. Police, who at the time claimed this was Harbin's first such case, found and arrested the ringleader only several months later. ¶4. (SBU) Hulan District, formerly a rural county before administratively integrated into Harbin municipality, is well known among Heilongjiang residents as a haven for migrant workers. Native Heilongjiang-ers informed Poloffs on previous occasions that it is perceived as a rough, "wild" area where police enforcement is poor. Provincial residents describe Hulan as a magnet for criminals and unscrupulous characters from throughout the province seeking escape, employment or both. SHENYANG 00000036 002 OF 002 GOVERNMENT, PRESS ACTIVITY THUS FAR -------------- ¶5. (C) Several Heilongjiang journalists familiar with the case generally confirmed the accuracy of the initial media reports, which they described as relatively thorough, and told us more articles will follow. Post's attempts to privately contact WANG Li, the Harbin Vice Mayor responsible for the city's civil-affairs portfolio, were unsuccessful. MA Haifeng (STRICTLY PROTECT),Vice Mayor Wang's secretary, told us early in the evening of March 20 that Harbin's vice mayors in charge of labor and public security, respectively, were in the midst of a meeting to discuss the case. ¶6. (SBU) Preliminary monitoring of online Chinese news websites, blogs and BBS boards revealed a number of sites-- everything from those of the official Xinhua News Agency to the Shanghai Federation of Labor Unions--taking an interest in this still-quickly-evolving story. Most bloggers and smaller news outlets appear to be playing it safe, largely reposting the early reports on the case written by two Heilongjiang papers: the Shenghuo Bao (part of the official Heilongjiang Daily) and the Xinwan Bao (part the official Harbin Daily). The most critical commentary thus far has come from MA Diming, a blogger (and occasional contributor to the official Xinhua),who criticized the local government's negligence in protecting the rights of migrant workers, calling for an investigation to determine accountability. WICKMAN