Article
China hushes up Olympic deaths
China has systematically covered up the accidental deaths of at least 10 workers, and perhaps many more, in a rush to construct the futuristic “bird’s nest” stadium in Beijing for this summer’s Olympic Games...Witnesses have told…of seeing workers plummet to their deaths from the perilous heights of the stadium...Chinese officials deny that there have been any deaths...Most of the workers employed on the project are poorly educated migrant labourers…In interviews workers talked…of abusive subcontractors who frequently withheld pay in violation of China’s labour laws…The lead contractor on the stadium is the state-owned Beijing Urban Construction Group…Several workers said the subcontractors tried to conceal workplace injuries from the authorities.