China sentences two to death over tainted milk
source: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090122/hl_nm/us_china_melamine
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- gaiusfurius
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Nearly 300,000 children fell ill last year after drinking milk intentionally laced with melamine, a toxic industrial compound that can give a fake positive on some nutrition tests.
The closely watched trial of middlemen and executives from the Sanlu Group, a now bankrupt firm that had failed to report cases of infants getting sick from drinking its products, wrapped up just before the most important holiday in China.
The Lunar New Year is traditionally a time for families to reunite and Beijing may have hoped the sentences would deflect public outrage about the deadly impact of the tainted milk during the festive period.
Affected parents had focused their anger on Sanlu's former general manager, Tian Wenhua, and were angry she was given a life sentence and would not face execution.
"She should have been shot," said Zheng Shuzhen, a 48-year-old who said her granddaughter died in June of kidney failure after drinking Sanlu milk formula but was not included in the list of victims.
"So many children died but they kept the official number down so that she could get life (in jail), not death," she added.
Tian had pleaded guilty to charges of producing and selling fake or substandard products, which state media said did not carry a death sentence. Besides the life sentence, she was fined 24.5 million yuan ($3.6 million).
Melamine is more commonly used in making plastics chairs, countertops, flame retardants and even concrete, and causes health problems included kidney stones when consumed by children.
POLITICAL VOLATILITY
Claims of official concealment and indifference have turned the milk powder case into a volatile political issue for the ruling Communist Party, which is wary of protest.
Police detained two parents to stop them attending the trial of the dairy executives, one father and fellow activists said on Wednesday.
On Thursday, police guarded the courthouse at Shijiazhuang, a gritty industrial city south of Beijing, nudging people away but avoiding harsh confrontation. The session to announce the verdicts and sentences was closed to the public but a court official gave details to reporters outside.
One of the men sentenced to death was Zhang Yujun, who had made and sold over 600 tonnes of "protein powder" laced with melamine between October 2007 and August 2008, the official China Daily quoted prosecutors saying earlier this month.
The powder was bought by middlemen who added it to pooled, watered-down milk from farmers that was then sold on to Sanlu. One of these men was also given the death sentence.
A third man was handed down a suspended death sentence, which usually means life in prison on good behavior.
The court had announced it would sentence 21 defendants implicated in the scandal on Thursday afternoon. However, it said shortly before the court opened that nine of them would be sentenced at other courts.
(Writing by Chris Buckley and Emma Graham-Harrison; Editing by Nick Macfie and Dean Yates)
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- groups:
- News and Politics, Health, Current News UK, Current News US
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- tags:
- News and Politics, Health, Current News UK, China, 6 more
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dariusvons
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good. america should follow the example and punnish corporate jerks like this in a similar manner. we should start with the bayer company.
- 3 years ago
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dariusvons
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cheetum
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for baby killers a life sentence in a chinese prison would probably be worse
- 3 years ago
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cheetum
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malathion
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damn fucking right . this is how to take care of shit . serious motherfucking consequences .
- 3 years ago
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malathion
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tj495
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damnn(
- 3 years ago
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tj495
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HaloedGriot
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China don't play when it comes to their children, considering their laws on the number of children families are allowed to have.
Its Lunar New Year? Time to go get the Moon Pies.
- 3 years ago
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HaloedGriot
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ruebezahl
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Atheistic government had struck again to prove that they are perfect in govern people with atheistic principles, no mercy for anybody that tainted the good name of the government. Somebody has to be the fall guy. Never mind, that this atheistic government had killed thousands of innocent Christian fundamentalists and still persecuting people that think outside the Atheistic box.
- 3 years ago
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ruebezahl
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navider
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China is scary!
- 3 years ago
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navider
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barbara3d
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They have such a huge populace and if they ever try to "RISE UP", they could trample the government. So, as always in the past, they control them with fear. Sometimes these workers are just ignorant as this ingredient had been used before to increase the amount of protein in a product when tested. Since WE caught it here, now they must be examples. We also caught the anti-freeze in the toothpaste. These workers have no lives either. Again, they are like slaves to their government. At least the common laborer is.
- 3 years ago
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barbara3d
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IMMININT
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barbara3d:
Ignorance is never acceptable.
- 3 years ago
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IMMININT
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eldamon
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They showed total disregard and depraved indifference. I'm not a big proponent of the death penalty in general but somehow it doesn't bother me too much in this case.
- 3 years ago
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eldamon
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ermullins
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Wow. Not a good day over there
- 3 years ago
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ermullins
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akamaial [removed]
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The punishment is just
- 3 years ago
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akamaial [removed]
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robertkelley1
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They should do the same thing to those assholes that made gas $4 last summer
- 3 years ago
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robertkelley1
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IMMININT
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If you think this is harsh, then I'd say we might as well pardon any child murderers in America.
I mean after all there's nothing wrong with killing babies to make a quick dollar right?
- 3 years ago
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IMMININT
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IMMININT
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IMMININT:
I don't eat burgers. I eat steak. ;)
Who do you defend more, your own species or another?
If you feel that the killing of a human baby, the next generation, is acceptable, then you are clearly out of your mind.
Defend your children, a cow won't return the defense.
- 3 years ago
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IMMININT
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islek
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Why would anyone want to taint milk intentionally and sicken babies? Barbaric.
- 3 years ago
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islek
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pedrozero
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Thrilled to hear this news. I hope the woman lives forever.
Other exciting news is the possibility of bringing back the death penalty to Mexico. Seventy to eighty percent of Mexicans believe death is a fair penalty for kidnappers who kill their hostages.
- 3 years ago
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pedrozero
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cerealforeal
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Now the FDA needs to get the same sentence. Death for any and everyone that allows melamine to be added to the milk that we feed our nation's babies.
- 3 years ago
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cerealforeal
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animalia_libero [removed]
- This comment was removed as a violation of community guidelines.
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animalia_libero [removed]
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IMMININT
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animalia_libero:
You're such a hypocrit it makes me sick.
- 3 years ago
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IMMININT
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IMMININT
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animalia_libero:
woah, understand I'll never let another man bring me low enough to hate them...
I just disagree.
- 3 years ago
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IMMININT
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omshaantih
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my daughter is on some weird Valex formula that a Doctor has prescribed and I hope it does not have this substance in it..now I want to go to an independent lab and get it tested...this is scary
- 3 years ago
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omshaantih
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barbara3d
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omshaantih:
That formula is made by Ross. It is for children with low birth weights and some metabolic disorders and is often given out in certain programs like WIC
- 3 years ago
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barbara3d
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cantucwearebrothers
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It's murder. If these people had killed six children with their bare hands would it be different? Would they be deserving of death THEN?
At some point somebody has to stand up and say no...this isn't acceptable and if you choose it anyway...this is how we will deal with you.
- 3 years ago
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cantucwearebrothers
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tursiops
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I think that the most important fact why they did have such harsh sentence was because it was intentional. I mean how in earth do you intentionally put poison into consomation material as common as milk.
- 3 years ago
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tursiops
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xuzp
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There should be somebody standing out to suffer that. But death sentence is too much, also there should be much more people than these two who need to be sentenced.
- 3 years ago
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xuzp
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marlaynek
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Does The woman in charge not face the death sentence just because she is female? I am just wondering.
- 3 years ago
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marlaynek
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devine_M
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marlaynek:
i was thinking the same thing....
- 3 years ago
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devine_M
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neocongo
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Yeah, I'm not sure if a death sentence is appropriate or not. I am certain the slap on the wrist white collar criminals in this country get is not adequate.
- 3 years ago
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neocongo
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abbym0308
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neocongo:
totally agreed.
- 3 years ago
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abbym0308
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abbym0308
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Death sentence?? My god that is harsh.
- 3 years ago
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abbym0308
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purplefox
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abbym0308:
considering they killed six babies?
I'm against the death sentence but in a country where it is legal this isn't surprising (even though the judiciary system does disturbingly tend to give them out like sweets..) - 3 years ago
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purplefox
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gaiusfurius
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abbym0308:
Harsh is watching your infant die in your hands.
- 3 years ago
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gaiusfurius
