The slave labor boss and his thugs are reunited in a court in northern China's Shanxi Province as their case entered into the preliminary trial stage today, reported The Chongqing Morning Post on Wednesday.

A rural migrant laborer, right, looks back at a passerby while pulling a cart of bricks at a kiln in Caosheng Village, Hongdong County in Shanxi Province in this undated photo. [Shanxi Evening News/file]

The case is in the spotlight after 31 men and children who were forced to work as 'slaves' in brick kilns were rescued in northern Shanxi province last month.

Media coverage of this case in the past few weeks provoked widespread public anger at the criminal ring.

"This case is not complicated and will be settled today," said an official with the criminal division of Linfen No. 1 Intermediate People's Court who declined to be identified.

A dozen suspects are being prosecuted, including the foreman Heng Tinghan, the kiln owner Wang Bingbing and his thugs Hang Tinghan, Zhao Yanbing, Zhao Fengdi.

According to the news report, only Zhao and another suspect Chen Zhiming, who is still at large are charged with three counts of unlawful detention, forced labor and malicious injury.

The others are charged with one or two of the above-mentioned three counts and none of them are prosecuted under the crime of women and children trafficking.

The public is wondering why the prosecution doesn't include a charge of women and children trafficking, as one of the 'slave laborers' was 14-year-old Chen Chenggong.

Under the Criminal Law code, a suspect shall be charged with women and children trafficking if he or she traffics women and children.

The news story added that Linfen No. 1 Intermediate People's Court won't pronounce a sentence in court today.