A firefighter shakes hands with Premier Li Keqiang during the Chinese leader's visit in Tianjin on Sunday, Aug. 16. (Photo : www.china.org.cn)
Premier Li Keqiang told Tianjin residents and firefighters on Sunday, Aug. 16, that all families of firefighters who died in the Tianjin blasts will be given equal treatment as well as compensation and honor regardless of whether they were in active service or employed by enterprises, the Global Times reported.
The pronouncement was made after local residents and families of the missing firefighters asked the government for more information and aid.
According to the report, more than 15 relatives of firefighters employed by Tianjin Port Group reportedly went to the Mayfair Hotel in Binhai New Area on Aug.16 to ask for more information on the whereabouts of their loved ones.
Some relatives of missing firefighters also broke into a press briefing on Saturday, demanding information and equal treatment for firefighters hired by enterprises.
The China Business Journal reported that firefighters hired by private companies earn 3,000 to 4,000 yuan ($640) monthly, lower than regular firefighters. They also do not get welfare benefits that regular firefighters receive. Regular firefighters are under the control of the government armed police force, and governed by the Ministry of Public Security.
On Aug. 16, protesting residents, outside the Mayfair Hotel who number more than 100, asked the government to purchase their properties as compensation for their loss.
The China News Service reported that more than 17,000 people live in the property whose homes were damage in the blast. Some were living at temporary shelters after evacuating from their homes.
Meanwhile, the local media has been asking local authorities about information on the company that owns the warehouse, Tianjin Dongjiang Port Ruihai International Logistics.
The news portal finance.qq.com reported on Sunday that one of the company's two major shareholders, Shu Zheng, who owns 45 percent of the company's shares, said that he knew nothing about the company, adding that a friend registered his name as a shareholder but he has no involvement in the company's operation.
No information about the other listed shareholder, Li Liang, has been found, the report said.
Authorities also denied rumors that the general manager of the company, Zhi Feng, has links with a former deputy mayor of Tianjin.
