Miners return to homeland after alleged Mongolia scam

CHANGSHA - Ten Chinese gold miners who were allegedly tricked into working illegally in Mongolia returned to China on Friday, confirmed the labor federation in central China's Hunan province on Saturday.

On June 6, netizens reported on the official website of the Changde Municipal government in Hunan that false promises had been used to lure some Chinese to work in a gold mine in South-gobi Aymag in Mongolia, said the Hunan Federation of Trade Unions.

The miners said the business visas with which they traveled did not entitle them to work in Mongolia, and "we can not get the promised minimum wage, insurance and labor contract. Besides, our passports were also seized by the boss."

Learning this news, the Hunan Federation of Trade Unions initiated an emergency mechanism to help the miners return to China and offer them legal assistance.

About 50 Chinese miners from five provinces work in the gold mine, whose contractor is a company from East China's Shandong province.