FOSHAN, Guangdong - The second trial of three job applicants who were denied jobs because they carry the thalassemia gene opened on Wednesday, in what is believed to be the country's first case of job discrimination because of the gene.

The three, surnamed Tang, Xie and Zhou, were denied civil servant jobs by Foshan human resources and social security departments last year because they were diagnosed as thalassemia gene carriers after passing written tests and interviews.

The Chancheng District Court in Foshan, Guangdong province, rejected their appeal after their first trial in early June, claiming that carrying the thalassemia gene is regarded as having a blood disease.