A seven-member team from Japan's special office for abandoned
chemical weapons disposal arrived at Lianhuapao Village, Dunhua, in
northeast China's Jilin
Province on Monday. The team was greeted by a crowd of furious
local residents, witnesses said.
For a short period, the angry Chinese blocked the cars of the
Japanese experts, calling for redress for the boys injured last
month when they found an abandoned canister containing a chemical.
The residents also expressed angry dissatisfaction with previous
investigations into chemical incidents in the community.
After about a 30-minute standoff, Chinese officials persuaded
the crowd to disband, and the Japanese investigators began their
work, according to witnesses.
Zhou Tong and Liu Hao, the two boys injured last month, are
being treated in a local hospital and are recovering from their
wounds.
The boys uncovered the 50-centimeter-long canister filled with a
chemical on July 24 when they were playing by a river close to
their village. One of the boys pried open the rusted weapon and the
liquid splashed onto their fingers and legs.
Chinese experts have confirmed the canister contained mustard
gas discarded by Japanese troops in 1945.
The Japanese experts reportedly did not visit the victims on
Monday.
The boys' parents have submitted demands for compensation to the
Japanese government, according to the Xiangbao
newspaper.
Since the boys were injured, 30 more chemical weapons have been
uncovered in the village.
(China Daily August 3, 2004)
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