Three miners convicted of robbery in southwest China

Three miners working at a local coal mine in Guang'an, a city in Sichuan Province, have been sentenced to jail terms of five to ten years for robbery.

The People's Court of Linshui County was told that Gan Zairong, his son Gan Guoliang and Xiong Xiaoguo had tried to rob their employer, owner of the Chengmendong Coal Mine, of 400,000 yuan (50,000 U.S. dollars).

Late at night on Sept. 30, 2006, the trio, knowing that the owner Yang Zuoquan was carrying a month's wages for all the miners, planted explosives in the middle of a road near the coal mine.

The next morning, Yang Zuoquan, together with his son-in-law Wang Chengya, drove along the road. Their car was thrown into the air when the explosives were set off.

Yang was knocked unconscious but Wang was unhurt. Wang managed to crawl out of the car and call the police.

Gan Zairong was sentenced to prison for 10 years and fined 5,000 yuan, while Gan Guoliang was sentenced to eight years and fined 3,000 yuan. Xiong was given five years and a fine of 2,000.

Source: Xinhua