Gangmaster Lin Liang Ren was sentenced to 14 years in prison on
28 March, for his role in the deaths of 21 Chinese cockle pickers in Morecambe Bay, Lancashire over two years ago.

Lin Liang Ren received 12 years for manslaughter and six years for facilitation -- helping people to breach immigration laws. These sentences will run concurrently. He was also sentenced to two years for conspiracy to pervert the course of justice; which will run consecutively to the other sentences.

His cousin, Lin Mu Yong was sentenced to four years and nine months and his girlfriend Zhao Xiao Qing to two years and nine months, both for facilitation.

The deaths on 5 February 2004 drew widespread attention to the realities of forced labour in the United Kingdom. Survivors told police they were forced to hand over most of their wages for accommodation, food and transportation, leaving them only £1 per day for over nine hours of work. They were kept in appalling and over crowded conditions and were forced to work in all weather conditions.

The case highlights the problem of forced labour in the UK and the fact that protection for migrant workers from slavery and other exploitation remains insufficient.

The UK Government has yet to sign the United Nations Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Their Families (1990). Implementation of the Convention would provide comprehensive protection for migrant workers and their families, regardless of their status.