Related News
Parents of 1st melamine death victim accept deal
Source: Xinhua |
January 17, 2009, Saturday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
THE parents of the first child to die after drinking chemically tainted milk formula have received compensation from Sanlu Group, the diary giant at the heart of a nationwide scandal last year that killed at least six children and sickened nearly 300,000 others.
Yi Yongsheng and Jiao Hongfang, villagers in northwest China's Gansu Province, confirmed yesterday that they received 200,000 yuan (US$29,247) from the company on Wednesday as compensation for the death of their son.
Yi declined to give further details on the compensation.
The couple's 5-month-old son died on May 1 after suffering from kidney failure caused by milk formula contaminated with the industrial chemical melamine, used by some companies to cheat protein tests on diluted milk.
By accepting the money from Sanlu, Yi and Jiao gave up their right to sue the company.
Shen Xianlei, one of their two lawyers, said the couple was unlikely to get more than 200,000 yuan by taking their case to court in Gansu, where death compensation is typically around 40,000 yuan. But Shen said that in developed regions, the amount offered by the company might not be acceptable.
"Legal procedures are too complicated for them, which made them decide to take the money," said Dong Junming, another lawyer working for the couple.
But in fact, Yi sued Sanlu five days after his son died, seeking 1 million yuan in damages. The court did not accept his case.
The melamine scandal was exposed in September. There were still 861 children in hospitals suffering from kidney stones or urinary problems at the beginning of December. The Ministry of Health has not provided updated numbers since that time.
In a letter sent to victims last month, Sanlu and 21 other dairy companies offered 200,000 yuan for families whose children died, 30,000 yuan for serious cases such as kidney stones or acute kidney failure and 2,000 yuan for less severe cases.
Parents of the victims who do not accept the one-time compensation are asked to sign a document.
They can then go on to seek damages through lawsuits.
More than 3,000 victims in Shijiazhuang, the capital of Hebei Province, where the headquarters of Sanlu is located, have accepted the compensation package.
More than a dozen parents in Shijiazhuang took the money even after complaining.
"Sometimes my child bleeds during urination. Sanlu must be responsible for that," said Jia Jiwen, a father in Shijiazhuang.
Jia said he did not accept the compensation until he was sure there was a fund to cover future medical expenses for his child.
The 22 dairy producers agreed to provide such a fund for all sickened children until they reach age 18.
Some parents in other parts of the country rejected the pay-off from the dairy companies, saying it wasn't enough compensation for what their children had suffered. They plan to pursue legal action.
In October, parents in Guangdong Province filed a lawsuit against Sanlu and the China Dairy Industry Association at the Guangzhou Intermediate People's Court demanding 900,000 yuan. The court did not accept the case.
Court officials in Hebei were quoted as saying by Li Xiongbin, a lawyer who worked for some of the parents, that "too many children were affected in the scandal. Conditions were not ripe to accept the cases. We need more time to think it over."
Yi Yongsheng and Jiao Hongfang, villagers in northwest China's Gansu Province, confirmed yesterday that they received 200,000 yuan (US$29,247) from the company on Wednesday as compensation for the death of their son.
Yi declined to give further details on the compensation.
The couple's 5-month-old son died on May 1 after suffering from kidney failure caused by milk formula contaminated with the industrial chemical melamine, used by some companies to cheat protein tests on diluted milk.
By accepting the money from Sanlu, Yi and Jiao gave up their right to sue the company.
Shen Xianlei, one of their two lawyers, said the couple was unlikely to get more than 200,000 yuan by taking their case to court in Gansu, where death compensation is typically around 40,000 yuan. But Shen said that in developed regions, the amount offered by the company might not be acceptable.
"Legal procedures are too complicated for them, which made them decide to take the money," said Dong Junming, another lawyer working for the couple.
But in fact, Yi sued Sanlu five days after his son died, seeking 1 million yuan in damages. The court did not accept his case.
The melamine scandal was exposed in September. There were still 861 children in hospitals suffering from kidney stones or urinary problems at the beginning of December. The Ministry of Health has not provided updated numbers since that time.
In a letter sent to victims last month, Sanlu and 21 other dairy companies offered 200,000 yuan for families whose children died, 30,000 yuan for serious cases such as kidney stones or acute kidney failure and 2,000 yuan for less severe cases.
Parents of the victims who do not accept the one-time compensation are asked to sign a document.
They can then go on to seek damages through lawsuits.
More than 3,000 victims in Shijiazhuang, the capital of Hebei Province, where the headquarters of Sanlu is located, have accepted the compensation package.
More than a dozen parents in Shijiazhuang took the money even after complaining.
"Sometimes my child bleeds during urination. Sanlu must be responsible for that," said Jia Jiwen, a father in Shijiazhuang.
Jia said he did not accept the compensation until he was sure there was a fund to cover future medical expenses for his child.
The 22 dairy producers agreed to provide such a fund for all sickened children until they reach age 18.
Some parents in other parts of the country rejected the pay-off from the dairy companies, saying it wasn't enough compensation for what their children had suffered. They plan to pursue legal action.
In October, parents in Guangdong Province filed a lawsuit against Sanlu and the China Dairy Industry Association at the Guangzhou Intermediate People's Court demanding 900,000 yuan. The court did not accept the case.
Court officials in Hebei were quoted as saying by Li Xiongbin, a lawyer who worked for some of the parents, that "too many children were affected in the scandal. Conditions were not ripe to accept the cases. We need more time to think it over."
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
