Foxconn suicide compensation increased with yearly stipend

News earlier this week that Foxconn had reportedly given around $44,000 compensation plus an Apple laptop to the family and girlfriend of Sun Danyong, the engineer who committed suicide after losing an iPhone prototype, was met with disappointment at what was seen to be an unfairly low amount.  Now an anonymous company official has revealed that Sun's parents will be paid not only a 360,000 yuan lump sum ($52,600) but a further 30,000 yuan ($4,385) every year until they die.

The update is still not official, as the Foxconn executive responsible for the new figures was not "authorized to deal with the press".  The earlier compensation claims were leaked by Sun's brother; meanwhile Foxconn have apologized for the incident, but still deny responsibility nor instructing the suspended security chief Gu Qinming to beat Danyong.

Sun Danyong was responsible for shipping completed iPhone prototypes to Apple in the US.  He reported one of sixteen units missing to his employer, Foxconn, and was then allegedly detained, mistreated and his apartment illegally searched.  However Foxconn have suggested that the incident was not the first time Sun had "lost" and then subsequently found a prototype, leading to speculation that he had been sharing or selling industry secrets to either the press or rival manufacturers.