Farmer sold as slave to factory 'over complaint'
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Shanghai Daily, October 20, 2011
A farmer in Beijing to appeal over a dispute was kidnapped and sold as a slave laborer to a brick factory in Hebei Province, it was reported yesterday.
Yang Xiangzheng, 57, told the Southern Metropolis Daily that after a month of labor he escaped from the brickworks in Wuqiao County.
Yang from Hunan Province had already appealed to Beijing twice over a housing dispute with local government before the alleged kidnap.
However, on the night of June 8 when he reached Beijing for a third appeal, Yan was kidnapped at the square of the Beijing West Railway Station by two strangers.
He was bundled into a van, and after a long trip, arrived at the brickworks, where he and seven other people were forced to work.
Yang told the newspaper that they were not allowed to talk to each other or ask about the factory. They received no pay and were often beaten by the supervisor.
At night, they were locked behind an iron door and forced to sleep alongside dogs, with the supervisor in the next room to prevent them from talking, the report said.
On July 8, Yang escaped and bought a ticket to Beijing with money he'd hidden in his underwear.
Yang said he believed the ordeal was linked to his appeal to Beijing.
The newspaper found the owner of the Liangcun brick factory, Wen Yongqing. He admitted Yang and others were sold to the factory for 1,600 yuan (US$250) each, but denied they were beaten, and said they all ran away.
Wuqiao County police told the newspaper that Yang must report to them directly so that they can start an investigation into the allegations.
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