Shanxi Governor Yu Youjun on Wednesday held himself responsible for the forced labor in his province's illegally run brick kilns and mines.

Other high-ranking officials have also very recently felt the need to apologize for major accidents harming the rights and interests of ordinary citizens.

At a time when other Shanxi officials closer to the crimes have yet to apologize, we appreciate the governor's courage. We take his self-criticism as a solemn vow that he and his colleagues will do everything possible to bring justice to both those behind the slave labor and their victims.

We hope carefully considered action will follow words as the operations behind the forced labor have yet to be fully uncovered. Forced laborers of unknown number, both adults and children, may still be suffering, and officials who have shielded the notorious business have yet to be brought to justice.

Meanwhile, in an attempt to prevent forced labor from recurring, the State Council has demanded a nationwide investigation of laborers in small brickworks and mines.

The high-profile attention to the fate of disadvantaged people should drive home the message that anyone who dares to trample the law and violate human rights will be properly punished.

The lesson from the forced labor scandal should be that similar tragedies will not be repeated in our society, a civilized society under the rule of law.

While the country achieves one economic miracle after another, a growing income gap, poverty and unemployment are also the facts of life. Disadvantaged people - even those who are not trapped in forced labor - may be desperate enough to work under intolerable conditions.

Loopholes in implementing laws and safeguarding laborers' interests at the local level make the situation even worse. More seriously, dereliction of duty and corruption constantly appear behind major accidents.

In recent years, sweeping investigations and crackdowns have followed tragic accidents. The only way to keep these well-intentioned national campaigns from being short-lived lies in the political will to uphold the power of the law at all levels.

(China Daily June 22, 2007)