China Toy Factory Owner Kills Self

An owner of a Chinese toy factory at the center of a giant recall by Mattel Inc. has committed suicide, a Chinese newspaper reported Monday.

Cheung Shu Hung, an owner of Hong Kong-based Lee Der Industrial Co., hanged himself Saturday at his factory’s warehouse in China’s southern Guangdong province, the Southern Metropolis Daily reported.

China said last week it had temporarily banned exports by that company after Mattel’s Fisher-Price division recalled 967,000 toys Lee Der made, including characters from Sesame Street and Nickelodeon, because they were tainted with lead paint.

Lee Der has been a long-time Mattel supplier, the El Segundo, Calif., toy company said in identifying Lee Der last week.

The newspaper said Cheung’s best friend sold the tainted paint to Lee Der.