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As thousands of inspectors fanned out across China to check for tainted milk powder today , police arrested six more people for involvement in a scandal that has killed four and sickened more than 6,200 infants.
Six more people have been arrested in Hebei province, where the Sanlu Group that is at the heart of the milk powder contamination is based, bringing the total in custody to 18 by this morning (Thursday).
Police said six had allegedly sold the industrial chemical melamine, used in plastics and fertilisers, but mixed with milk at collecting stations to bamboozle tests for protein. The other 12 were milk suppliers accused of selling the contaminated milk.
So serious is the latest scandal to tarnish the “Made in China” brand that Premier Wen Jiabao presided at a cabinet meeting yesterday to coordinate the government’s response. The meeting concluded: “The Sanlu infant milk powder incident reflects chaos in the dairy products market and loopholes in supervision and administration that has not been vigorous.”
Three babies have died and the government of the westernmost Xinjiang region reported a fourth fatality today. Officials say 6,244 infants have been sickened after being fed the powder laced with melamine, and of those 158 were fighting acute kidney failure. More cases were expected as more and more parents take the toddlers to hospitals and as contaminated powder is found in other brands.
Already the chairwoman of the Sanlu Group has been fired and arrested and the mayor of the Hebei provincial capital has also been sacked.
But latest reports revealed the sale of the contaminated milk powder had been going on for many months – even though Sanlu had learnt of the problems.
The Hebei deputy governor said Sanlu knew that melamine was being added to its milk since as early as 2005, a Hong Kong newspaper controlled by Beijing reported. The deputy governor said 41 of 372 milk stations supplying Sanlu had been found to have problems.
One suspect told police that from February 2007 to July 2008 he bought 200 44-pound (20 kilogram) sacks of melamine for 200 yuan (16 pounds) each and sold them on to milk suppliers.
The victims of this collusion of greed and secrecy are among society’s most vulnerable. Many are peasant families who can afford only to buy formula produced by less prestigious state-owned companies or migrant workers who have left their babies with grandparents or relatives for better-paying jobs in coastal areas.
In a country with few outlets for public anger, many have vented their fury in online chatrooms. One anonymous posting read: “Do other milk products have problems? Now it’s a question of trust. If the relevant producers are not bankrupted it won’t give the food industry a shock. If the criminals aren’t killed, the masses will not be satisfied.” Another wrote: “Society today is all about money, for many you can adopt any methods.”
Better-off Chinese are crossing the border into Hong Kong to buy up imported brands of formula.
In Beijing, one young father-to-be said he was encouraging his wife to breast-feed. “I think more people in the cities understand that mother’s milk is better. But in the countryside they think there is more nutrition in milk powder.”
But many have not lost their sense of humour. One joke doing the rounds online describes a man going into a shop to buy bread only to find there is no expiry date on the package. The sales clerk gets out a pen and says: “Don’t worry, let me write one for you.”
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I think some Chinese manufactures are selfish in a way that they only think for themselves about profit and earnings. But what about the people? We live in the same country, living under one roof. Why can't these people think for the others?
Val, Hong Kong, China
I am so sorry for those had happened this year,especially the milk powder events. But who should be criticised . I think we chinese should think more. Though it is not a day's job, but I think it's the time for the government to take some real actions to save our citizens
Jane, huizhou, China
i would say that, if more food from china is recall or simply being banned from entering any country, i bet the country will face another cruel economic crisis within its country. The cruel acquaintance by the people and the government have been the main reason for all this to happen.
Cindy Lai , Miri, Malaysia
I really hate the milk powder producer!
As a chinese,I feel very sad about this
because many infants suffer from kidney stones......
I hope our government will punish the company!
Rain567, Henan, China
It is strange... I didn't think that Chinese food was that serious... But I expected that these Chinese food would make some trouble at last. And I don't trust China that much.
Jung Yun Choi, Sinchon, Korea
The lack of control of chinese government in china affects not only the mainland chinese products and services, but us overseas chinese as well. It is very annoying for people to keep pointing out poor chinese products and ask us about these. We are a proud people and we don't need this...
Alphonse Tan, Quezon City, Philippines
The milk scandal and the deaths of infant is a tragedy for all of China. The blame completely falls on some greedy and idiotic individuals who knowingly used the poison, we should save our anger for those responsible instead of lashing out at each other and hope the criminals are severely punished
Lee, NY,
What company in US markets this stuff? I don't want to buy any kind of food from the US company. Hannah, Denver, CO, USA
Hannah Attwood, Arvada, Co 80002, USA
John, Cheadle.
You sound like a China apologist. A one party state means no checks and balances. The New Zealand PM, Helen Clarke blew the whistle on this one. Otherwise it would have been covered up and ignored. The New Zealand intervention embarassed the Chinese Government into acting properly
Colin, Carmarthen, United Kingdom
This is a tragic case of greed over ethics, in the name of unregulated economic growth. Many countries go through such pains in their development (remember BSE, E-Coli?). For those China-bashers, using this as fuel to beat their chests, the irony is that is a -ve side-effect of a capitalist model.
John C, Cheadle, UK
Julia Chang, China- this particular disaster is caused by Chinese people putting profit before the health of tiny babies, by the Chinese govt saving face rather than warning poor and vulnerable parents. Strength and togetherness - only for the wealthy.
Angela, Epping, Australia
I dont buy any food products made in china as they lack quality control...this is one of the many cover ups chinese officals seem to do so well..because its freedom of speech is some what restrained you will always get these types of senario's occuring...i am sure this incident wont be the last..
Alex, Adelaide, Australia
To Julia Chang,
The baby milk scandal is not a western conspiracy to stop china "from shining out in the world", it is our chinese that are commiting suicide!
Many chinese are blind to our own problems, and trying to blame them on foreigners. If we keep doing things in this way, china has no hope.
Yun, wuhan,
As chinese, we should be punished, because many of us are still willing to trust a government which have been continually enslaving, persecuting, torturing, plundering, fooling,and poisoning the people.
cqibong, Nanning,
Julia Chang, Guangzhou.
I think that you fail to look at your CCP government with any critical depth. Are you one of the new wealthy CCP middle class? Here in UK we have many refugee Chinese who have fled China due to poverty. Your proclaimed wealth is only for a selected minority, not for all.
Colin, Carmarthen, United Kingdom
While the earthquake was a natural disaster, this is a man made one. If the Chinese are planning to sweep this under the carpet just like what they had done w/ the contaminated pet food, rice and toys early this year, then you can bet this won't the last scandal coming out of this 3rd world country
Paul, Singapore, Singapore
China suffers several disasters this year, but nothing can stop her from shining out in the world. I trust chinese goverment and chinese people. We are together and we are strong.
Julia Chang, Guangzhou, China
Chinese exports of powdered milk should be investigated urgently, they supply large quantities of goods to Zimbabwe for example and this problem could be much larger than currently known!
Roz Mitchell, Salisbury, UK
The Government is willing to spend Billions for the Olympics to look good in front of the world and their own people. Now they have another human disaster. The irony is that this disaster would create a lot of parapheligic atheletes with bad kidneys for future ParaOlympics.... Very sad indeed.
Chan Fung Kam, Hong Kong, Hong Kong
My dog died last year from the melamine contaminated dogfood. I told people then to call congress (202)225-3121 and tell them that we need to regulate our food supply, and not to keep bowing down to big businesses and their lobbyists. If babies are sick the way my dog was, my heart breaks for them.
Desiree, Whidbey Island, USA