Chinese police have detained 168 people accused of involvement in slavery that trapped victims in scorching brick kilns, state media said on Monday, as outrage over official complicity rippled through the usually tame press.Of those held, 48 were caught in Shanxi province and the rest in neighboring Henan, where hundreds of teenagers and poor farmers, and even some children, were trapped or cheated into kilns, mines and foundries, the China Daily reported.
The unfolding scandal has stained the ruling Communist Party's promises to build a "harmonious" society with better rights and income for hundreds of millions of poor farmers.
Local news media have been unusually blunt in demanding answers from the government and calling for resignations.
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