The slave labor boss and his thugs are reunited in a court in northern 
China's Shanxi Province as their case entered into the preliminary trial stage 
today, reported The Chongqing Morning Post on Wednesday.
 
 
   A rural migrant laborer, right, looks back at a passerby 
 while pulling a cart of bricks at a kiln in Caosheng Village, Hongdong 
 County in Shanxi Province in this undated photo. [Shanxi Evening 
 News/file]
   | 
The case is in the spotlight after 
31 men and children who were forced to work as 'slaves' in brick kilns were 
rescued in northern Shanxi province last month.
Media coverage of this case in the past few weeks provoked widespread public 
anger at the criminal ring. 
"This case is not complicated and will be settled today," said an official 
with the criminal division of Linfen No. 1 Intermediate People's Court who 
declined to be identified. 
A dozen suspects are being prosecuted, including the foreman Heng Tinghan, 
the kiln owner Wang Bingbing and his thugs Hang Tinghan, Zhao Yanbing, Zhao 
Fengdi. 
According to the news report, only Zhao and another suspect Chen Zhiming, who 
is still at large are charged with three counts of unlawful detention, forced 
labor and malicious injury. 
The others are charged with one or two of the above-mentioned three counts 
and none of them are prosecuted under the crime of women and children 
trafficking. 
The public is wondering why the prosecution doesn't include a charge of women 
and children trafficking, as one of the 'slave laborers' was 14-year-old Chen 
Chenggong. 
Under the Criminal Law code, a suspect shall be charged with women and 
children trafficking if he or she traffics women and children. 
The news story added that Linfen No. 1 Intermediate People's Court won't 
pronounce a sentence in court today.