China sentences tainted Milk producers to death!

[LazyLion]

http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/asiapcf/01/22/china.tainted.milk/index.html

Death sentences in China tainted milk case

* Story Highlights
* Former Sanlu chairwoman gets life sentence over tainted milk scandal
* Three people sentenced to death, two others to life in prison
* Three more receive 5- to 15-year prison terms for roles in selling tainted milk
* Melamine contamination estimated to have caused 6 deaths, sickened 296,000

SHIJIAZHUANG, China (CNN) -- The former chairwoman of China's Sanlu dairy was sentenced to life in prison and three others received death sentences Thursday in a tainted milk scandal that killed at least six infants and sickened nearly 300,000 others.

Tian Wenhua and three other Sanlu Group executives were put on trial for producing and selling fake or substandard products after their arrests in late September.

Tian, who pleaded guilty in December, received a life sentence Thursday. Former deputy general managers Wang Yuliang and Hang Zhiqi received sentences of 15 and eight years, while Wu Jusheng, a former executive heading Sanlu's milk division, was sentenced to five years in prison.

In addition, Sanlu, Tian and Wang were ordered to pay multi-million dollar fines.

The court also sentenced three people to death, including a suspended sentence pending a review, and two others to life in prison. Six more received prison terms of five to 15 years each.

Many of the defendants -- including one who received a death sentence -- were middlemen who sold melamine to milking stations that added the chemical to the milk. VideoWatch more on the sentencings »

Security was tight ahead of the verdicts, as police set up roadblocks a kilometer (0.63 miles) in each direction from the courthouse.

Parents outside the courthouse were outraged by the sentence that spared Tian's life. A mother who's baby died from contaminated milk said she wanted Tian shot to pay for the life of her child.

Twenty-one suspects went on trial late last month. Nine have yet to be sentenced.

Sanlu was one of the main distributors of the tainted milk, which caused kidney stones and urinary tract problems in hundreds of thousands of children.

From early August to mid-September, Sanlu produced 904 metric tons of melamine-tainted baby formula powder and sold 813 metric tons of tainted products made with contaminated milk, the state-run Xinhua news agency reported. VideoWatch how China's dairy industry has been affected by the scandal »

Chinese investigators found melamine in nearly 70 milk products from more than 20 companies, according to quality control official Li Changjiang, who was eventually forced to resign.

The Ministry of Health has said the contamination likely caused the deaths of at least six babies. Another 296,000 infants suffered from urinary problems, such as kidney stones.

The tainted formula came to light in September after babies who were fed milk powder produced by the Sanlu Group, which recently filed for bankruptcy, had developed kidney stones.

Melamine is commonly used in coatings and laminates, wood adhesives, fabric coatings, ceiling tiles and flame retardants. Some Chinese dairy plants added the chemical to milk products so they would appear to have a higher protein level. Learn more about melamine »

Victims of tainted baby formula are expected to be compensated by the 22 Chinese dairy producers that made the milk.

"The enterprises offered to shoulder the compensation liability," the country's Dairy Industry Association said late last month, according to Xinhua.

"By doing so, they hope to earn understanding and forgiveness of the families of the sickened children."

The group said victims will receive a one-time cash payment, but did not provide the amounts, according to Xinhua.

No date for the payments was given. The dairies also raised money to cover medical bills for any after-effects suffered as a result of the poisoning, the association said.

 

[remybfg10k]

Good. An eye for an eye almost, wonder who Tian Wenhua's contact was to spare her death?

 

[bboy]

Well... good!

 

[bwana]

No point crying over spilt melamine.

 

[boramk]

Did they really deserve it? Did they really know their products had melamine in it?

 

[lsuacner]

Did they really deserve it? Did they really know their products had melamine in it?

The producers did not add it, the middlemen did.

 

[Hosehead]

China hands out death penalty like confetti. Interesting shooting method they have too.

 

[Thestealth]

China hands out death penalty like confetti. Interesting shooting method they have too.

Elaborate please. On the shooting method that is.

 

[Vinia]

So sad.

Who am I kidding? I just want to know where & when I can buy White Rabbit sweets again. Carcinogens be danged.

 

[LazyLion]

While it seems pretty harsh... they did cause needless deaths... and it sends a VERY strong message to other Chinese producers and exporters to clean up their act. It will be good for consumers worldwide in the long run.

 

[Hosehead]

Elaborate please. On the shooting method that is.

For lack of a better name, I call it the Goldfish method.

Qiu has attended executions by firing squad where the kneeling prisoner is shot in the back of the head. The guards "ask the prisoner to open his mouth, so the bullet can pass out of the mouth and leave the face intact," he says.

They used to charge the families of the condemned a "bullet fee" but I'm not sure if this practice is continued

Lethal injection in mobile execution buses is gathering steam but only near the major population centers. The rest get it by shooting with either pistols or assault rifles with a single shot to the back of the head. If the condemned is lucky he/she will be anaesthetised senseless before burping molten lead.

 

[Sneeky]

The dinner company our government so desperately courts.

 

[lsuacner]

If this was China we could bet if HIV or punishment would down Zuma first.

 

[Albereth]

If this was China we could bet if HIV or punishment would down Zuma first.

Not really because the party officials in China are exempt from the usual laws. Where do you think our mob and Ugly Bob learnt it from?

 

[shadowfox]

I have my doubts if Zuma would've gotten as far as he has today under China's laws.

I've seen news of a Chinese government official recieving a death sentence before - and it was for fraud, I think. If Zuma was in China, he'd be wetting himself.

 

[Slaine73]

We can say what we want but maybe it is not that bad, if we had it here maybe the price fixing wouldn't have happened....

 

[Wino]

Come on china!
Hurry up and take control of Africa.

 

[Albereth]

Come on china!
Hurry up and take control of Africa.

Perhaps you'd like to visit China before you start making such ridiculous suggestions?

 

[Hosehead]

Come on china!
Hurry up and take control of Africa.

They are in control of plenty of places in Africa. The Americans are shi*ting themselves over this. China is the new Russia.