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Tuesday 29th August 2006

Chinese court freezes assets of iPod plant journalists 12:39PM, Tuesday 29th August 2006

A Chinese court has frozen the assets of the two Shanghai journalists who first reported on conditions at an iPod manufacturing facility in the country, after the plant's owner, Foxconn, sued them, alleging that they have damaged its reputation.

The court has blocked access to assets including apartments, a car and bank accounts belonging to Wang You and Weng Bao, respectively a reporter and editor at the China Business News, ShanghaiDaily.com reports.

Foxconn is seeking damages of 20 million yuan from Wang and 10 million yuan from Weng, after they made allegations, subsequently repeated in the Mail on Sunday newspaper and across the Internet, of substandard working ands living conditions, long hours and low wages at the plant in China's Shenzhen province.

Foxconn was unavailable for comment but the China Business News said that it 'stands firmly behind its journalists and will bear all possible consequences in this case'.

The report prompted Apple to audit the plant. It found that on the whole the allegations were unfounded, although its investigation was criticised by an international trade unions' organisation.

Simon Aughton

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