日韩精品久久一区二区三区_亚洲色图p_亚洲综合在线最大成人_国产中出在线观看_日韩免费_亚洲综合在线一区

  Home>News Center>China
       
 

Britain opens Chinese workers drowning case
(AFP)
Updated: 2005-09-12 09:19

The trial of five people charged in connection with the Morecambe Bay cockle-picking tragedy in which at least 21 Chinese migrants drowned opens on Monday, AFP reported.

On February 5, 2004, the workers were just off the northwest English coast picking cockles, a kind of shellfish, when they drowned in fast-rising tidal waters.

Besides the 21 known dead, all from the Fujian and Liaoning provinces of China, a further two people are still missing and presumed dead.

The disaster cast a spotlight on the plight of Chinese and other foreign migrant workers, many of them in Britain illegally, and the so-called "gangmasters" that hire them on low wages to do manual labour.

The trial is to begin at 10:30 am (0930 GMT) in Preston Crown Court, 25 miles (40 kilometres) south of Morecambe, before judge Richard Henriques.

The court is to select a jury on Monday with the opening statements to be made on Tuesday.

Lin Laing Ren, 28, is charged with 21 counts of manslaughter, conspiracy to commit facilitation -- an offence relating to the organisation of illegal immigrants -- and conspiracy to pervert the course of justice.

Zhao Qing Xiao, 20, is charged with conspiracy to commit facilitation and conspiracy to pervert the course of justice. The pair live together in Liverpool, northern England.

Lin Mu Yong, 30, from Liverpool, is charged with facilitation.

David Eden, 62, and his 34-year-old son, also David Eden, from Prenton near Liverpool, are charged with breaching immigration and labour law. They run the Liverpool Bay Fishing Company.

Morecambe Bay is known for its treacherous quicksand and fast-rising tides, which can come in quicker than a person can run. The local coastguard regularly have to rescue stranded cocklers.

In August 2004, 136 people had to be rescued after a tractor collision four miles out, thought to be the result of a turf war between rival Scottish and Chinese cockle-picker gangs.

The tide in the bay can rise up to 35 feet (10.5 metres) and fall back 7.5 miles (12 kilometres) away from the shore.

A June 2004 inquest into the deaths heard that victims phoned their loved ones with pleas for help as they drowned.

To confirm the identities of the dead, Lancashire Police officers travelled to China to take DNA samples from relatives. Britain's Home Office funded their repatriation once they were identified.

It is thought that at least 3,000 gangmasters -- employing up to 100,000 workers, many of them illegal immigrants -- operate in fields such as shellfish collection, agriculture, food processing and packaging.

In July 2004, Prime Minister Tony Blair's government adopted legislation aimed at reining them in.

The Gangmasters Licensing Act requires regular inspections to make sure that gangmasters comply with the law in areas such as immigration, housing and social security.

However, the authority may not begin issuing licences until late 2005 and there could be no raids on the worst offenders until the middle of 2006.

There are still concerns about what is happening to Chinese and other workers who may have paid large sums of money to "snakehead" gangs to be smuggled into Britain, and whose presence is unknown to the authorities.

In June 2000, 58 Chinese died of suffocation in the back of a Dutch truck, trying to enter Britain illegally.

The court intends to visit Morecambe Bay on September 21, weather and tide permitting.

The town of Morecambe is a fading seaside resort across the bay from the mountains of England's picturesque Lake District.

The bay is Britain's second largest but it has the country's biggest inter-tidal sandflats and mudflats, covering 119 square miles (310 square kilometres).



Hu arrives in Mexico for state visit
US Pacific Command Commander in Zhanjiang
President Hu in Canada for visit
  Today's Top News     Top China News
 

East coast provinces battered by Typhoon Khanun

 

   
 

President Hu arrives in Mexico for visit

 

   
 

Shenzhou VI flight 'after October holiday'

 

   
 

EU warns of new China textile 'disaster'

 

   
 

China drafts emergency plans for influenza

 

   
 

Optimism for a harmonious Hong Kong

 

   
  Chinese vice-president inspects HK equestrian racecourse
   
  Chinese evacuate as typhoon threatens Shanghai
   
  China's diplomacy enters golden age
   
  Chinese president identifies areas for enhanced coop with Canada
   
  Hong Kong Disneyland ready to open Monday
   
  Former US President Clinton addresses China Internet Summit
   
 
  Go to Another Section  
 
 
  Story Tools  
   
  News Talk  
  It is time to prepare for Beijing - 2008  
Advertisement
         
主站蜘蛛池模板: 9久9久女女热精品视频免费观看 | 国产一区免费在线观看 | 色秀视频免费高清网站 | 亚洲性人人天天夜夜摸 | 国产一级做a爰片久久毛片 欧美一区欧美二区 | 亚洲国产成人精品女人久久久 | 国产噜噜噜精品免费 | 欧美性喷潮xxxx | 欧美日一区二区 | 欧美日屁| 欧美一区二三区 | 亚洲一区二区在线播放 | 久久精品国产99久久6动漫亮点 | 亚洲国产精品国自产电影 | 国产日韩一区二区三区 | 亚洲色综合图区p | 国产专区欧美 | 成年视频免费观看 | 亚洲最大视频网站 | 久草在线观看福利视频 | 在线免费观看网址 | 男进女内免费视频无遮挡 | 免费av一区二区三区 | 欧美成人在线视频 | 先锋影音av最新资源 | A片太大太长太深好爽A片视频 | av网站在线看 | 中文一区| 亚洲精品成人AA片在线播 | 91短视频在线高清hd | 欧美一区二区三区爽大粗免费 | 亚洲国产精品二区久久 | 91免费国产在线 | 久久国产一区 | 欧美自拍视频在线 | 色婷婷综合久久久久中文一区二区 | 夜夜夜操操操 | 91探花| 国产精品极品美女自在线看免费一区二区 | 免费国产免费福利视频 | 色多多成视频人在线观看 |