A series of disturbing photographs have been passing around the internet: mentally disabled men from Sichuan are being sent to Xinjiang to do manual labor. The Chongqing Economic Times reports this today, as well as the Tibet Business Daily.
On the web portal QQ.com, special coverage is given to the topic, reporting the news that government officials have met in Toksun county (托克逊县). Global Times reports that one man, Zeng Lingquan, has been arrested for sending 11 disabled men to work for Jiaersi Green Construction Material Chemical Factory.
The same front page reported that 13 different types of clothes made by different brands － including Elle’s trousers, Aiaiwu’s denim skirts, Frog Prince’s shorts and t-shirts － did not pass quality tests in Chongqing, meaning that the products could cause skin irritation as it loses color. Similarly, five types of energy-efficient light-bulbs are not bright enough and over 70% of jade, pearl jewelery do not have standard quality.
- Chongqing Business News (Chinese): Disabled sold to Xinjiang to do hard labor
- Global Times: Sweatshop allegedly abuses mentally ill; 13 different kinds of children’s clothes have problems, might cause skin diseases