A
Letter to
Our Fellow
Countryman
in Hong Kong
28th January
2005
Dear friends
from Hong
Kong, brothers
and sisters,
We are jewellery
factory workers
from mainland
China. We
are here in
Hong Kong
to seek justice
and our well
deserved compensations
from our employers.
We have worked
for these
employers
under extremely
poor working
conditions
for a few
years. Polluted
by the large
amount of
dust, we have
contracted
the horrible
occupational
disease of
pneumoconiosis.
Pneumoconiosis
is incurable,
and can be
fatal in a
few short
years. A number
of workers
have already
left this
world, leaving
behind huge
debts, old
age parents,
young children
and devastated
wives. Not
only do these
unscrupulous
employers
shift their
responsibilities
for their
workers, who
have brought
their employers
enormous wealth,
they have
also found
different
excuses to
refuse compensations.
We used to
have happy
families until
we were diagnosed
of pneumoconiosis.
The disease
has brought
us pains and
sufferings.
Our old age
parents, small
children and
our wives
rush around
borrowing
money everywhere
in order to
keep our disease
under control
and thereby
keep us alive.
We are now
handicapped
and no longer
able to bring
in any income.
We have difficulties
in walking
and talking;
we are always
out of breath
and suffer
from chest
pains. All
we can do
now is to
sob quietly
and wait for
our death
to arrive.
We are now
totally helpless.
We have used
up all our
savings and
do not have
any more money
to treat our
disease. We
are also heavily
in debt. Our
families are
facing the
loss of their
loved ones
while worrying
about their
future. Being
either too
old or too
young, our
family members
are not able
to make a
living by
themselves.
How are they
going to survive?
Who is going
to bring in
an income
for them?
And we are
still young¡K
We appeal
to our fellow
countryman
in Hong Kong
to help us
to seek justice,
to condemn
our unscrupulous
employers!
Li
Wei-zhong,
age 42, second
stage pneumoconiosis,
Lucky Gems
and Jewellery
Company
Yang
Ren-ping,
age 39, second
stage pneumoconiosis,
Lucky Gems
and Jewellery
Company
Feng
Xing-zhong,
age 35, second
stage pneumoconiosis,
Ko Ngar Gems
Company
(The
Chinese version
prevails in
case of any
discrepancy
between the
Chinese and
English Version.)
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