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India: arrests made after protest over food poisoning at Apple supplier Foxconn site in Chennai

  • 22 men arrested, around 70 women released; all had been detained for blocking road after food poisoning at Apple supplier Foxconn dormitories
  • India among nations increasingly important to contract manufacturers supplying US brands trying to minimise effects of China-US trade war

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A salesperson and customer at an Apple reseller store in Mumbai, India. Some of Apple’s phones are assembled in the country through manufacturing partners like Foxconn. Photo: Reuters
Reuters

Police in India have released dozens of women detained for blocking a key highway in a protest against food poisoning at a Foxconn unit, the country’s second instance of unrest at an Apple Inc supplier factory in a year.

However, some of the men detained were arrested, a police source said.

People listening to the annual general meeting in Foxconn’s Taipei, Taiwan office in June 2020. The firm, which makes electronic components for major firms, has plants around the world, including India. Photo: Reuters
People listening to the annual general meeting in Foxconn’s Taipei, Taiwan office in June 2020. The firm, which makes electronic components for major firms, has plants around the world, including India. Photo: Reuters
India is among the countries, such as Mexico and Vietnam, becoming increasingly important to contract manufacturers supplying American brands as they try to minimise the impact of the trade war between China and the US.

The highway was blocked for hours in the southern city of Chennai in Tamil Nadu state, home to a plant where the Taiwan contract manufacturer, formally known as Hon Hai Precision Industry Co Ltd, began assembling the iPhone 12 this year.

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Foxconn is a leading manufacturer of electronic components; products made at its worldwide plants include iPads and iPhones for Apple, Kindles for Amazon and PlayStations for Sony.

It was not immediately clear if production in India was disrupted by the protests sparked by last week’s food poisoning incident that led to 150 employees being admitted to hospital.

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The incident happened at Foxconn’s dormitories, where most of its staff live. Foxconn declined to comment. Apple did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.

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