GUANGZHOU - An investigation has been launched at a stationery company in Humen, Guangdong province, after two employees committed suicide last week.

Xie Yanfang, an official with Dongguan city bureau of human resources, promised that the company, Nanshan International Stationery, would be punished if it was found to have violated laws and regulations in connection with the workers' suicides.

According to the Dongguan Times, a male worker surnamed Fan died after he jumped off the third floor of a workshop building at about 8 pm on Feb 18 while a female worker named Li Tangxia was killed after she jumped from the fourth floor of the factory's dormitory at about 4 pm on Feb 15.

Xie said that a special task force sent to the stationery company early this week consists of officials from the bureau's labor supervision department and the bureau's Humen township branch.

But she refused to give further details or comment further on the case before the task force had concluded its investigation.

The wife of a worker who committed suicide at a stationery company weeps on Sunday in Dongguan, Guangdong province.

Humen is at the mouth of the Pearl River.

The special task force was set up and started to look into the case after Xie's bureau reported the workers committed suicide.

Local police have also launched an investigation, local media said.

An executive from the Hong Kong-funded stationery company, located in Humen's Nanshan administrative district, did not comment on the case.

Relatives said the two victims committed suicide due to their heavy workload and poor treatment by their supervisors, but executives from the factory said the suicides may have been due to personal problems, according to the Dongguan Times. Fan was a skilled worker who had worked in the factory for eight years while Li was a temporary worker, the Dongguan Times said.

Media said more than 400 workers had quit after Fan and Li committed suicide, and the company is now having difficulties recruiting new employees.

Li Juan, an associate research fellow at the law research institute under the Guangdong Academy of Social Sciences, said migrant workers usually faced a heavy workload.

"Migrant workers should learn to use the law to protect their legal interests, instead of going to extremes, when they are not fairly treated by their employers," Li told China Daily on Monday.

"Employers should let their employees have a sense of belonging to avoid such tragedies," she added.

Guangzhou Jia Yu medical equipment Limited