China Claims Of Compensating 90 Per Cent Of Tainted Milk Victims

The China Dairy Industry Association has claimed that 90 percent families of the victims in the country's tainted milk scandal have been compensated.

Without disclosing the compensation amount, the association said that families of 262,662 children who were sickened after drinking the melamine-contaminated milk products had signed compensation agreements and accepted compensation, the chinaview.com reports.

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Out of the families of six dead children and 891 other infants, all except two had accepted compensation, the association said. However, families of 23,651 sickened children have yet to be reached mainly because of wrong or untrue registration of names, it added.

There are only a handful of families of sickened children who want to realize their rights and interests by filing lawsuits and did not accept compensation, it said.

The Chinese Health Ministry has confirmed deaths of six infants who died after consuming contaminated milk products, whereas 296,000 infants suffered kidney stones and other urinary problems.

China Hid Milk Scandal to Save Beijing Olympics, Rights Groups Say
Journals and media critics have alleged that China knew about the contamination of milk products months ago but covered the scandal up to prevent it tarnishing the Beijing Olympics.

In a letter sent to victims last month, Sanlu Group which was at the center of the scandal along with 21 other dairy companies, offered 200,000 yuan for families whose children died and 30,000 yuan for serious cases such as kidney stones and acute kidney failure. The less severe case victims got 2,000 yuan as damage.

The dairy companies have also set up a fund to pay the medical liabilities of the sickened children until they reach the age of 18.

More Babies Sickened in China Milk Scandal
The number of babies and infants reported sick after being fed contaminated milk powder in China jumped Saturday as the government vowed severe punishment for those responsible.

Earlier, two milk producers found guilty for producing melamine-added milk were sentenced to death by a local court in Shijiazhuang City.

However, 19 others, including Sanlu's former general manager Tian Wenhua, were given sentences ranging from a suspended death sentence to two years in jail.

Starbucks Stops Serving Milk in Chinese Outlets as Crisis Worsen
Starbucks stopped serving milk in many of its Chinese outlets on Friday as a crisis over poisoned dairy products that have left four babies dead and thousands of others sick spiralled.

Source-ANI
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