Reports of Suicide in China Linked to Missing iPhone

[Coventina]

Source: Wall Street Journal

News media in China are reporting that a 25-year-old employee of Foxconn, which manufactures products for Apple there, committed suicide last week after being interrogated about a missing prototype for a new iPhone.

According to publications that include Shanghai Daily, Sun Danyong, a recent engineering graduate, jumped out of the window of his apartment last Thursday. The reports said Sun, who had been tasked with sending iPhone prototypes to Apple, had been under suspicion for stealing after one of the handsets went missing. Some publications reported that, in the days prior to his suicide, Sun had been detained and beaten by a senior official in the security department of the Taiwan-based electronics manufacturing giant.

Foxconn could not be reached for comment. But some reports quoted a statement from Foxconn’s general manager Li Jinming, who apologized for what happened and attributed the incident to a lack of management. He added that the official who had questioned Sun has been suspended and is under investigation by the police.

A spokesman for Apple said, “We are saddened by the tragic loss of this young employee and we are awaiting results of the investigations into his death. We require that our suppliers treat all workers with dignity and respect.”

Read more: http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2009/07/21/reports-of-suicide-in-china-linked-to-missing-iphone/

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Sad story.

[BobRossi]

1. Hows that outsourcing working for ya Steve?

One down.

[Taverner]

2. China - the worst of both Capitalism AND Communism!!!

Now with 20% more Tyranny!

[MADem]

6. Taiwan...not PRC, if I am reading the article correctly.

"The other China," as it were...

[mwooldri]

11. Foxconn is based on Taiwan (Chinese Taipei if you're PRC inclined)...

but they definitely have a good number of facilities in the Peoples' Republic of China.

Look at the dots on the map... most are in China.

http://www.foxconn.com/WorldLayout.html

Mark.

[WriteDown]

3. Wonder is Steve showed up personally for the interrogation.

"Sun had been detained and beaten by a senior official in the security department of the Taiwan-based electronics manufacturing giant."

[Frank Booth]

4. Yet another life ruined by a massive, uncaring corporation.

This is one more reason I will never buy any Apple products.

[XemaSab]

7. And pray tell

what sort of computer are you using now?

[WriteDown]

9. Ridiculous....

They are the best corporation in the world. After all, they make my ear pacifiers. :sarcasm:

[fujiyama]

5. There was an article in the NYT about Apple's intense paranoia

and secrecy.

They really do keep things under wraps. Horrible to hear someone was physically abused by security over the product.

[WriteDown]

8. C'mon...

Can't have those iPhone 4G's just floating around.

[ecstatic]

10. Did the guy really commit suicide...or was her murdered in order

to keep the prototype secret? :shrug: