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IPFS News Link • China

Foxconn Rioting Leaves Factory Closed, Dozens Injured

• http://www.wired.com, By Christina Bonnington
 Thus far, reports from the BBC indicate 40 people have been injured and were hospitalized after a “personal dispute” got out of hand. Unverified messages on social network Weibo suggest that violent behavior from security guards ignited the incident. Five thousand policemen were called in around 9 a.m. local time to get things under control.

Reports differ on whether or not there were any fatalities. The Chinese blog China Popular Computer Week, which has posted a number of images and updates from the riots, reports 10 were killed in the violence, but Foxconn issued statements saying that there have been no fatalities as a result of the riots.

Foxconn is most notably an electronics supplier for Apple, but also builds parts for Dell, HP and Microsoft. This particular Foxconn plant, located in Taiyuan City in central China, employs 79,000 workers and manufactures electronic components for cars and consumer devices, according to the BBC.

Recently, factory workers in China have begun demanding more reasonable pay and better working conditions, the New York Times reports. Indeed, at Foxconn in particular conditions and pay have been drastically improved following Apple-conducted audits at its plants and a string of suicides over the past few years.


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