Chinese premier admits school made fireworks

Premier Zhu Rongji stands by his claim

By Rose Tang
CNN.com Writer

HONG KONG, China -- A school where an explosion killed more than 40 people did make firecrackers once, Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji has admitted.

Zhu said the school in Jiangxi province in eastern China had a "work for study" program for pupils "to fit fuses into fireworks" in 1999 but stopped the activity after an explosion in another firework producing village last year.

Zhu referred to the controversial explosion, which has been attributed to different causes, in closing the annual National People's Congress in Beijing on Thursday.

But he remained faithful to his previous statement that the explosion earlier this month was caused by a mad man who broke into a classroom at the primary school with two bags of fireworks that he detonated.

That view has been angrily disputed by the families of victims who say the school principal and teachers have been using the school as a fireworks sweatshop to meet a funding shortfall.

Surviving students told the media that they had been forced to make firecrackers for the past four years.

Official Xinhua News Agency reported that the man, nicknamed "Psycho", whose body was found at the blast site, was the cause for the tragedy which killed about 42 teachers and students as young as eight, and injured dozens others.

Police found a note in villager Li Chuncai's home saying "I will sacrifice myself . . . blast all burn all . . . ", according to Xinhua.

Zhu said he had "personally" asked the Public Security Minister to send six plainclothes experts to further investigate the case, as the domestic and overseas media "did not agree" with him.

He said the team on their private visit did find "some leads" but didn't discover any evidence at the blast scene to show that the school were manufacturing firecrackers.

"Today I don't need to debate here with those Chinese and foreign journalists who have suspicions over this case," he told a news conference in Beijing.

He said he was "very distressed" over the case, and "no matter what the truth is," the State Council and himself hold ultimate responsibility for not adequately implementing President Jiang's instructions to prevent explosions. .

Zhu said further investigation would continue and promised that the government would strengthen laws to ban anyone to "engage any students or minors to in life-threatening work".

Local officials will be sacked immediately and charged for criminal offenses if there are "losses of life" in such practice, he promised.

"Here I want to solemnly commit before the people of this country that I will learn the lesson from this incident," Zhu said.

Police have sealed off the blast scene and detained journalists who attempted to interview villagers near the school.

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Xinhua News Agency

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