In the midst of the human rights saga, the UK Press Association has an article detailing a report from Human Rights Watch focusing on how Olympic workers are being exploited by the Chinese government.
The report listed the risks facing the estimated two million migrant workers working on construction sites in the run-up to this August’s Games, including a lack of safety equipment, crowded and unhygienic dormitories, no medical care, arbitrary fines by bosses, and delayed or unpaid wages.
After the report was released, the rest was rather simple to predict.
HRW Spokespeople amp up the rhetoric:
“Despite years of government rhetoric, employers still cheat migrant construction workers of hard-earned wages. And when it comes to basic social services, the government still discriminates against migrants,” a spokeswoman said.
And the Chinese Foreign Ministry dismisses HRW’s objections:
“I believe that everybody is well aware that Human Rights Watch has some problem with its sight. It is biased. It has some problems with its eyes. It has weakness in seeing things properly,” a Foreign Ministry spokesman said.
And the UK Press Association is stuck with being forced to offer little analysis beyond the obvious:
With Beijing having spent £20 billion on an urban makeover to impress the world during the Olympics, the government is keen to avoid embarrassment.
read the rest here.
