From Non-Violence Resistance 非暴力不合作 blog:
As we drove towards the waste water treatment facility on the outskirts of the city, the cab driver became chattier. He guessed I was a journalist from out of town, but was more excited to know that I was a Jilin native.
I too was overjoyed to find out that he used to work at the now notorious 101st Factory, exactly the same plant the explosions had occurred. I was eager to test the theory about the spill with him.
“I saw this happening. I just knew it,” he said, referring to the November 13 explosions. Outdated and crude as the factory’s equipment might be, it took years of experience to properly operate them. And now most of the workers at the factory are young people, graduates of local trade schools. “Punks,” according to him.
An 18-year veteran at the factory, he was let go in 2000 when the factory was partially privatized and most workers laid off. “My co-workers were hopeful that if they protested a bit harder, they would keep their jobs. Stupid.”
