Controversy over Olympics in Beijing

China admits Games worker deaths

China has admitted that six workers have been killed on Olympic Games construction projects since 2003.

Until now, Beijing had denied there had been any fatalities on the building sites being readied for this August's Games.

Officials said the families of the dead workers had been compensated.

Games organisers last week dismissed a report in a British newspaper that at least 10 workers had died building the main Olympic venue.

Officials now say two workers died at the National Stadium in Beijing.

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China is just now disclosing the deaths of 10 workers on the Olympic site since 2003. The officials tried to cover the deaths up but are now finally releasing them. China already has a very poor rating with over 100,000 deaths in the workplace every year.

Work Accidents

China crackdown on work accidents

Dozens of Chinese officials are to be prosecuted or punished over fatal accidents in the workplace - where 100,000 Chinese die each year.

Works Minister Wang Wei announced that prosecutors would consider cases against 78 managers and officials, and 105 had already been disciplined.

The move comes after inquiries into five incidents where 189 people died.
Meanwhile, officials say they are willing to investigate reports that 10 workers have died at an Olympic site.

Senior safety official Li Yizhong said those responsible would be punished severely if the claims - made by UK newspaper the Sunday Times - turned out to be true.

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This is not the first time that China has experience large numbers of the deaths of workers. In fact, more than 100,000 people die in the workplace every year. Reports say that some of the witness's and victims' families have been paid to keep quiet. This is yet another example of corruption in China. Maybe the lesson to be learned here is that when you make ridiculously cheap goods and threaten the economies of other countries, some of your workers will die. I guess this is just the law of economics evening things out.

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