The mainland's Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, the Cabinet, said Wednesday that it was "highly concerned" about a mainland worker's murder of two factory employers from Taiwan.

On June 15, Liu Hanhuang, a worker at the Zhan Ming Hardware Producing Factory in Dongguan City of south China's Guangdong Province, quarreled with three Taiwan managers over compensation for a work accident. He then killed two and severely injured one.

Wang Yi, director of the Taiwan Affairs Office, and Chen Yunlin, president of the mainland-based Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits (ARATS), expressed concern and urged the two organizations to see to the investigation "actively" and deal with the aftermath "properly."

Liu stabbed the factory's general manager Lin Yu-teng, vice general manager Shaw Cheng-chi and production manager Lai Chen-jui with a knife. Shaw was killed on the spot and Lin died in a hospital.

The three managers were all from Taiwan. Zhan Ming is a Taiwan-invested company.

According to the Guangdong-based newspaper New Express, Liu is a 26-year-old native of Songtao County in southwest China's Guizhou Province. Liu's right hand was amputated because of a work injury.

He is said to have tried to discuss the issue of compensation with his employers several times without reaching agreement.

He was arrested by the local police.

According to the ARATS, the association has already reported the case to the Taiwan-based Straits Exchange Foundation. The ARATS also sent staff to help local departments deal with the case and care for the victims' relatives.

(Xinhua News Agency June 17, 2009)