[Broadcast on 3 December 2004]

On 2 December, China News Service reported that 35 miners’ bodies were brought up to the ground surface from the underground pits and all, except one, had been identified. However, Xinhua Net’s report on 1 December said that 65 bodies have been discovered. If both sources were correct, where were the other 29 bodies? We thus made a telephone enquiry to the Propaganda Department of the Chenjiashan Coalmine.

Han Dongfang [Han]:

How many miners’ bodies have been found?

Propaganda Department:

65.

Han:

65?

Propaganda Department:

Yes.

Han:

Then how come the China News Service says that 35 bodies have been brought up to the ground surface?

Propaganda Department:

Right, 35 bodies.

Han:

Where are the rest then?

Propaganda Department:

It was like this, another explosion happened right after we have dug out those 35 bodies. So it was too late to get those bodies out.

Han:

But on 1 December, another news report said that 65 bodies had been found. If so, why didn’t [the rescue team] bring them up immediately?

Propaganda Department:

I’m not sure about that.

Han:

My question is: why haven’t those 29 bodies been brought up when they were first discovered?

Propaganda Department:

Hmm… I don’t really know.

Han:

Why were they left inside the pit?

Propaganda Department:

Hmm…I don’t really know why.

Han:

Which department knows more about this matter?

Propaganda Department:

The municipal committee is at the scene and the provincial [government] is in charge of it. We are just assisting them.

Han:

Does it mean that when 65 bodies were first discovered, the mining company, for whatever reason, didn’t bring them up immediately?

Propaganda Department:

I can’t tell the exact situation, I just can’t tell.

Mr Liu, the deputy chief of the propaganda department, told CLB that three victims’ families had expressed to the mining company that they understood the difficulty facing the company. He also said that one retired worker had called the deputy director of the mining bureau to remind him to take good care of himself, even after he learned about his son’s death in the explosion.

Propaganda Department:

The families understand the difficulty we are facing and they are very cooperative. They just want us to do the follow-up work required by current regulations, for example, the leader of the vent & fire-fighting department…

Han:

Which department you’ve just said?

Propaganda Department:

The Ventilation & Fire-Fighting Department. The head of the Ventilation & Fire-Fighting Department, a retired worker, called the deputy director of the mining bureau, Mr Zhang, after learning about his son’s death. He told Mr Zhang: “It’s such a misfortune for my family as I have lost my son. I know that nobody would want to see it happen and I also believe the bureau could handle the aftermath well. I didn’t want to become a burden of the bureau.” He further said, “You mustn’t give up, take good care of yourself.” Two other comrades are also quite outstanding. One is vice-registrar of Tongchuan Municipal Commerce & Industry Bureau. His name is Zhang Tingjun, his brother-in-law was killed and the other retired worker, Liu Zhihua, his son was also found dead. They both said they understood our difficulties and they only wanted the mining bureau to handle the aftermath as regulations require. They said: “We don’t want to give any more trouble to the mining authorities and if there is any regulation concerning victims’ compensation, just do what the regulation states.” That was the message I got last night. I guess these three families should have sorted out [the compensation terms] by now… if things are sorted out and the body is found… when they saw the bodies were in good shape, they all felt rather…

Han:

Were they satisfied when they saw the bodies of their loved ones?

Propaganda Department:

Yes, sure.

Han:

You told me the situation about these three families, but what about the other 163 families?

Propaganda Department:

After more bodies being discovered, more people came to claim them back. For the missing miners’ families, we explained to them about the situation and it is basically stable at the moment.

Han:

What do you mean by “basically stable”?

Propaganda Department:

No large protest or emotional upheaval.

Han:

Isn’t it said that families of the migrant workers blocked the town government of Miaowan Town and the head of the town couldn’t leave the place?

Propaganda Department:

I have no idea of the incident you are talking about.

Han:

Are the 166 victims mainly migrant workers?

Propaganda Department:

Two third of them are contract migrant workers.

Han:

Are the migrant workers working on contracts?

Propaganda Department:

Yes, right.

A victim’s brother told CLB that his brother’s body had been transferred to Xiashijie Mine and as nobody told the family about the compensation terms, the family hasn’t travelled there to receive the body yet. He said it was until the morning of 3 December, a trade union staff came to comfort them for the first time.

Victim’s brother:

[The victim is] my elder brother and his body has been found.

Han:

Have you seen his body yet?

Victim’s brother:

We haven’t seen it; we were told that the body had been transferred to Xiashijie.

Han:

Pardon, where did you say?

Victim’s brother:

Xiashijie Mine.

Han:

Was it sent to Xiashijie Mine?

Victim’s brother:

Yes.

Han:

Why didn’t your family go to have a look?

Victim’s brother:

Because the compensation terms, in addition to living allowance, haven’t been sorted out. This morning, a staff member of the trade union came but didn’t discuss those issues with us.

Han:

You mean the compensation hasn’t been fixed yet?

Victim’s brother:

Right.

Han:

Did the mining company tell the affected families about the compensation agreement?

Victim’s brother:

We don’t know yet. The trade union people said they would come to visit me tonight to discuss it.

Han:

Did they say they would come back tonight?

Victim’s brother:

Yes.

Han:

Have they been at your place this morning?

Victim’s brother:

Right.

Han:

Did they tell you that for each loss of life, a victim’s family would be given a compensation of 44,640 Yuan?

Victim’s brother:

No, they didn’t say that. They just came to have a look and see how our livelihood was like and what problem we are facing. Previously, when coalmine accidents broke out, they would do it. Last time [when there was an accident], the mining company paid 20,000 to 30,000 Yuan, close to 40,000 Yuan [as compensation]. A new regulation was issued on 1 October and it would be applied in this accident. I don’t know how much the compensation would be. The TV news said with such a high death toll, the compensation will become the highest in history.

China Labour Bulletin interviewed an official of Chenjiashan Mine Trade Union. The official admitted that the minimum compensation rate for a life loss was 80,000 Yuan. However, he had no idea if by the victims’ families agreed to this rate; he only claimed it was a policy decided by the mine management.

Trade Union Official:

[The compensation rate] was based on his [a miner’s] average wages, wasn’t it? The figure was 51,000 Yuan.

Han:

51,000 Yuan?

Trade Union Official:

But that was not enough. So we got some donations from the community and set the rate at 80,000 Yuan. The minimum [compensation rate] is 80,000 Yuan.

Han:

Have you discussed with the families about this rate?

Trade Union Official:

Discuss with the families?

Han:

Yes.

Trade Union Official:

I don’t know.

Han:

So when you were deciding the figure…

Trade Union Official:

Hey, I tell you, the policy was decided by the leaders and we are only answering questions here… if you want to know the figure, I can only tell you that.

Mr Li, who lost his younger brother in the blast, told CLB that armed police were guarding the entrance of the coalmine. Families were told that they must sign the compensation agreement before they were allowed to see the victims’ bodies. He said the same approach was taken in the accident on 6 April 2001.

Mr Li:

He [the younger brother] is found. People told us that he was killed, but they won’t let us see him. We still can’t see him.

Han:

Why can’t you see him?

Mr Li:

We are not allowed to see the body until we sign the [compensation] agreement.

Han:

What?

Mr Li:

If we don’t sign the agreement, they won’t let us see his body.

Han:

Have you gone to there [where the bodies are kept]?

Mr Li:

Yes, but they didn’t let us in. The armed police guarding there refused to let us in.

Han:

How did you know that you can’t see your brother’s body if you don’t sign the agreement?

Mr Li:

Everyone at the mine said so. Other victims’ families also told us that. They said if you don’t sign it, they won’t let you see the body. The same thing happened in the April 6 Accident.

Han:

You mean the accident on 6 April 2001?

Mr Li:

Right, it didn’t allow the families who didn’t sign the compensation agreement to see their beloved ones’ bodies.

Han:

You mean the families could only take the bodies home after they had signed the agreement?

Mr Li:

Yes, only that they could get the bodies back. We don’t know about the exact regulations. We don’t have much knowledge about law. We only work in small mines.

According to the State Administration of Work Safety’s press release on 2 December, miners with Tongchuan residency who were killed in the accident would each be given a compensation of 44,640 Yuan, including the cost of funeral service and a one-off subsidy to the family. The press release said that departments in charge of the aftermath had drafted a compensation agreement, but no family members had so far signed on it. Mr Li, who lost his brother in the accident, recalled that nobody had contacted his family since the tragedy occurred.

Mr Li:

Nobody contacted us and rumours say it [the compensation rate] would be 39,000 Yuan.

Han:

Has the coalmine [company] informed the family officially [about the death of Mr Li’s brother]?

Mr Li:

No, the mining company hasn’t made any official notification. It is said that the official document has been passed down, but we haven’t seen any. No certificate of death has been issued.

Han:

You mean no notification from any department of the coalmine?

Mr Li:

No, all victims’ families are talking about it. Some people said they had seen it [the notification] but… the coalmine didn’t send anyone that. No one has ever seen it.

Han:

What do the families think about the compensation rate?

Mr Li:

Well, you know that the compensation rate for a flight accident victim is some hundred thousand [Yuan] and we think the compensation rate here is too low. I don’t know any family who has signed the agreement. We want to know how much other families would get and we would follow them [to request from the mining company].

Han:

Have you thought about contacting other families to look for a common solution? Like a compensation rate [that families would agree with]?

Mr Li:

Let me tell you this: it is impossible to communicate with others. Miners at this mine are from different parts of the country and we don’t know them personally. It is not possible to contact and organize them.

Han:

Why not?

Mr Li:

The miners came from Hebei, Henan, Shanxi, Shandong provinces and elsewhere. Some people did think about [getting organized] but it didn’t work out.

Han:

If others would ask you to join [a victim families’ organization], would you do it?

Mr Li:

Of course I would.

Han:

Are you sure?

Mr Li:

Yes, for my and my family’s interest, I would for sure join it.