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Repeated coal mine accidents thwart farmers' aspiration for riches
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2005-08-26 17:01
Chen Yuemin, 47, a farmer from Quannan County, east China's Jiangxi Province,
might never expect that his quest for more money and a better life would be
ended in such a tragic way.
Chen, who switched to work on a coal mine seven hours' bus ride away from his
home just one year after having tilled the land for more than three decades, was
one of the 123 miners who were killed on Aug. 7 in a flooding taking place at
the Daxing Coal Mine of Xingning City, Guangdong Province.
Only four miners escaped the coal mine flooding tragedy that day.
Rescue workers have so far found remains of only six of the miners killed in
the flood accident. Though rescue operation is still going on, but the hope for
those miners trapped in the flooded coal mine tunnels to return alive has
remained slim.
Together with Chen, a score of other farmers from Quannan also lost their
lives in the coal mine flooding.
Guo Xiuying, Chen's wife, who has stayed a local hotel in Xingning waiting
for more news about the beloved one after traveling all the way from their
homeplace, said:"I will never letmy children to work on coal mines no matter how
poor our family might be."
Chinese coal mines are notorious for its high death rate.
Information from the General Administration of Work Safety showed the country
turned out about 2 billion tons of coal last year, with the loss of lives of
6,000 miners.
Coal mine accidents across the country killed 2,672 more miners in the first
six months of the year, a rise of 33 percent from the same period last year.
Most of the killed were farmers who just left the land to work on coal mines.
However, factors such as a strong desire to rid poverty and better pay
following rising energy demand amidst fast economic development in China have
turned dangerous coal mines into popularly sought-after sites to work with among
transient workers.
Chen Fucai, 30, son of Chen Yuemin and Guo Xiuying, said: "Our family has
only been allotted with 0.13 hectares of arable land. If we don't go to work on
coal mines, what shall we rely on to send our children to school? So many people
work on coal mines, I don't think my family is always that unlucky as it is this
time."
Hanshou County has been one of the most important grain production bases in
central China's Hunan Province. However, leaving the farmland and finding new
jobs elsewhere have become a major way for local farmers to earn more money.
Liu Zhenke, secretary of the Putian Village Committee of the Communist Party
of China (CPC) in Hanshou County, said there were no industries around the
village, so one quarter of the village folks have gone out to find jobs with the
help of relatives and friends.
Liu Aixiang, a 68-year-old woman from Putian Village,lost three relatives --
her eldest son, two grandsons -- in the fatal coal mine flooding happening early
this month in Xingning in the neighboring Guangdong Province.
Li Yingjia, Liu's eldest son, who was deeply debt-ridden after having built a
new brick house, had to lead his two sons to work at Daxing Coal Mine in
Xingning City, in order to earn more money and pay off the debts.
As a matter of fact, the farmer-turned miners seldom received professional
training in mining skills because of limitations of poor education, so the
safety at the coal mines could not be guaranteed once accidents happen.
Luo Yun, head of the Beijing engineering technology college with China
University of Geoscience, said as coal miners are poorly trained of professional
mining skills, many coal mines havenot even been installed with necessary safety
equipment, so the aftermath could be very serious when an accidents takes place.
Li Zhilun, Minister of Supervision, who is put in charge of investigation
into cause for Daxing Coal Mine flooding disaster and the responsibilities
therein, blamed corruption of local government officials for the Aug. 7 flooding
disaster at Daxing Coal Mine which had been producing coal without obtaining
necessary licenses in advance.
Huang Yi, a spokesman with the General Administration of Work Safety, urged
local governments to step up administration and supervision over mining
entities, as well as improve a sense of responsibility in order to prevent
occurrence of similar coal mine disasters.
Some experts also suggest China should revise its existing laws to render
heavier penalties to those who are held directly responsible for fatal coal mine
disasters.
In accordance with the existing Chinese laws, the people who are held
directly responsible for major accidents in workplaces will be meted out seven
years of imprisonment at most if convicted.
Luo Yun, head of the Beijing engineering technology college with China
University of Geoscience, said,"to coal mine owners, it requires high investment
to take preventive measures against potential accidents, so they prefer risking
danger and even if fatal accidents do take place, the penalties rendered
thereafter are quite lenient."
Li Yizhong, General Administration of Production Safety, confirmed that
relevant Chinese government departments had submitted reports to the State
Council and the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC)
citing the loopholes in existing laws, demanding immediate revisions, and
calling for rendition of heavier penalties including heavier fines to those held
responsible.
"We hope with stricter laws and heavier fines, local
governments and coal mining operators will pay more attention to production
safety," said Luo Yun, "a way out for protection of more farmer-turned miners
against repeated fatal accidents will be to change the mode of economic growth
in China, to curb irrationalrise in energy demand by way of advocating a saving
mentality."
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