Silicosis Victim Wins Record Compensation

Feng Xingzhong, a 33-year-old Sichuan native, won his case on appeal in Huidong County People's Court on 22 Dec 2005, after a 3-year legal battle and amid a steady deterioration of his health. The court ruled that Feng is entitled to a total of 463,761 yuan, in a compensation package that included a
lump sum payment of 219,000 yuan to cover Feng's long-term medical treatment. Feng's case is the first time that a court has awarded compensation on this vital count. It sets a good precedent for future compensation cases involving occupational illnesses in the Guangdong jewellery industry.

Though it's a victory for Feng, the battle has not yet ended. Feng's compensation may be dragged out because his employer, Ko Ngar Gems Factory, has lodged an appeal to the Huidong County court 2 weeks ago. With the prolonged legal proceedings and weak enforcement order, Feng's compensation is still out of his hands.

While Feng and several other silicosis-afflicted jewellery workers have been
awarded substantial amounts of compensation by the courts over the past year, most of the other 100 or so victim workers in Guangdong have received little or no compensation. Moreover, these cases are the tip of the iceberg: the Chinese Ministry of Health's experts estimated Chinese workers currently have silicosis might be as much as 4.4 million.

International spotlight will help arouse public concern on the problem. LAC will continue our campaign in HK and in the international community. We're going to stage a protest at Basel trade fair this March, coming along with Chinese and Indian silicosis victims in an effort to wide the campaign basis.