iPhone longtime supplier accused of using forced Uighur Muslim labor in China
Beijing: Documents uncovered by a human rights group has revealed and accused one of the oldest and reputed suppliers of Apple’s iPhones of using forced Muslim labor in its factories.
The document discovered by the Tech Transparency Project and shared exclusively with The Washington Post reveals thousands of Uighur workers mostly hailing from the Muslim region of Xinjiang were forced to work for Lens Technology.
Lens Technology is one of at least five companies connected to Apple's supply chain that has now been linked to alleged forced labor from the Xinjiang region, according to human rights groups. Lens Technology stands out from other Apple component suppliers because of its high-profile founder and long, well-documented history going back to the early days of the iPhone.
Lens also supplies Amazon and Tesla, according to its annual report.
"Our research shows that Apple's use of forced labor in its supply chain goes far beyond what the company has acknowledged," said Katie Paul, director of the Tech Transparency Project.
Apple, however, categorically rejected the claims and said that Lens Technology has not received any labor transfers of Uighur workers from Xinjiang. Josh Rosenstock, Apple spokesman added that Apple has ensured that none of its other suppliers are using Uighur labor transferred from Xinjiang.
Looking for the presence of forced labor is part of every supplier assessment we conduct, including surprise audits. These protections apply across the supply chain, regardless of a person's job or location. Any violation of our policies has immediate consequences, including possible business termination. As always, our focus is on making sure everyone is treated with dignity and respect, and we will continue doing all we can to protect workers in our supply chain" Rosenstock said.
Lens Technology however did not respond to requests for comment according to The Washington Post.
In response to faxed questions from The Post, the Foreign Ministry in Beijing called forced labor in China "nonexistent" and accused people with "ulterior motives" of fabricating it. It said a number of companies had hired auditors to conduct investigations, which "confirmed the nonexistence of 'forced labor.'" It did not name the companies.
"Apple claims to take extraordinary measures to monitor its supply chain for such problems, but the evidence we found was openly available on the Internet," said Paul of the Tech Transparency Project.
Xinjiang, in the far reaches of Western China bordering Afghanistan, Pakistan, and other Muslim-majority countries, is facing a brutal crackdown by China's government, which has placed more than a million Muslims in concentration camps or forced them to work in factories making everything from cotton to soft drinks to electronics.
Some Uighur workers have told human rights groups that they were given a choice between taking a job in a far-flung factory and being sent to a detention center. In some cases, workers have said that when they "accept" the job, they live in heavily guarded campuses and are rarely allowed to leave. In the evenings, when their shifts end, the Uighur workers say they are forced to take lessons in communist propaganda. Whether the Uighurs are paid, and exactly how much, is unclear.
Some of these labor transfers sent workers to Lens Technology campuses in Hunan, according to an August 2019 article in the Global Times of China.
In a previous report, the Tech Transparency Project alleged the cotton T-shirts worn by Apple Store employees were also sourced from forced labor in Xinjiang. Rosenstock has said Apple doesn't receive shirts from Xinjiang, but would not say whether the company ever did in the past.
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Mamata Banerjee's offer to cook food for PM Modi stirs controversy
Kolkata, May 14: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's offer to "cook food" for Prime Minister Narendra Modi elicited mixed responses from different political parties, with the BJP terming it a "political agenda" and the CPI(M) dubbing it as an "understanding" between the TMC and the saffron party.
Taking a jibe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his recent allegation that RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav last month had fish during a period when some Hindus abstain from having non-vegetarian food, Banerjee on Monday said she was ready to "cook something for him (Modi)" if he wanted though she was not sure whether he would eat what she cooked.
Banerjee, at an election rally here, had made the remarks while taking a dig at the BJP for allegedly interfering with the food habits of the people and had said she would be happy to cook food for Modi but is not sure "whether the PM will be ready to savour my cooked meal."
"I have been cooking since my childhood days. People have praised my cooking. But will Modi ji accept my food? Will he trust me? I will cook whatever he loves," she had said.
The TMC supremo had said, "I love both vegetarian foods like Dhokla and non-veg foods like macher jhol (fish curry). Different communities, and different sects among Hindus have their own unique rituals and eating habits. Who is BJP to impose a diktat on an individual's dietary habits? It shows the BJP leadership has little idea and concern about the diversity and inclusivity of India and its people."
Banerjee's offer to cook for the prime minister, who is a vegetarian, drew sharp reactions from the saffron camp.
"Mamata Banerjee wants to feed Modi ji with fish and rice cooked by her. Good proposal. But before that, why doesn't she first offer pork chop to her lieutenant Firhad Hakim? It will serve three purposes, secularism will be asserted, it will show charity begins at home and the fritters will also be praised," former BJP state president and ex-Tripura Governor Tathagata Roy posted on X.
BJP leader Sankudeb Panda claimed Banerjee had deliberately invited Modi knowing well that he is a strict vegetarian.
"This is nothing but her ploy to trap the PM. She knows on the one hand the PM will never eat fish or any non-veg item. If she believes everyone should be allowed to eat what he/she loves to eat, then why is she twisting Modiji's comments about one's dietary habits? She is insulting devout Sanatani Hindus" he added.
Reacting to Banerjee's comments, CPI(M) leader Bikash Bhattacharya said, "Being Dada-Bon (brother and sister), Mamata didi can certainly offer to cook meals for the prime minister, do not know if it is to placate him."
Bhattacharya was referring to the jibe - "Didibhai-Modibhai" that the Left and the Bengal Congress unit use to refer to the alleged tacit understanding between the BJP and the TMC.
He said such comments in the backdrop of her public posturing against "Modi's politics and divisive speeches show an apparent contradiction" in what she publicly says and preaches in private.
"Both Mamata Banerjee and Narendra Modi are responsible for bringing the country to such a state. Both are mixing politics with religion," he added.
The TMC, however, supported the party supremo's remark and said she spoke about the unique religious, and cultural diversity of India and the theme of "unity in diversity".
"She spoke rightly and her comment regarding Modi stems from the fact that as Modi has the right to eat what he likes, every other Indian too has the same right," TMC MP Dola Sen told PTI.
She also criticised the BJP for trying to impose the "Sangh Parivar's narrative" about their agenda to impose a diktat on diets and other customs on people of this country.
