Chinese Toy Factory Owner Takes Life

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An owner of a Chinese toy factory at the center of a major recall of lead-tainted toys by Mattel Inc. earlier this month apparently committed suicide just days after the American toy giant identified his company as the toys’ manufacturer, the Wall Street Journal reports.


Cheung Shu-hung, an owner of Hong Kong-based Lee Der Industrial Co., killed himself on Saturday afternoon at his factory’s warehouse in China’s southern Guangdong province, according to an official at the public security bureau in Guangzhou. Lee Der made nearly one million toys, including characters from Sesame Street and Nickelodeon, that El Segundo, Calif.-based Mattel recalled about two weeks ago because they may have been tainted with lead paint that can pose health risks if swallowed.

The security official declined to give any more details, and it’s unclear that Mr. Cheung’s death was related to the toy recall. An employee at Lee Der’s office in Hong Kong declined to comment Monday. News of Mr. Cheung’s suicide was first reported in Southern Metropolis Daily, a Chinese newspaper.


Chinese manufacturers often suffer serious fallout when problems emerge that endanger their relationship with big customers. Those customers pull orders, and factories are often forced to cut jobs.


Earlier this year, Huang Xing Light Manufacturing came under siege when labor activists accused it of underpaying and mistreating employees. The Shenzhen factory, which made Disney souvenirs for a Japanese company under a license agreement with Walt Disney Co., was forced to shut down after it lost most of its business.


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