China lawyers say govt warns against tainted milk
lawsuits
Posted: 16 October 2008 1420 hrs
Photos 1 of 1
Police stand guard next to cans labelled 'Toxic milk' during
a protest scandal over tainted Chinese milk products.
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BEIJING: Lawyers for victims of China's tainted milk
scandal said Thursday the government had warned them not to sue,
although three lawsuits had already been filed and more were
expected.
The three suits filed separately seek damages over the
contamination of dairy supplies with the industrial chemical
melamine, which has been blamed for killing four babies and
sickening 53,000 children.
However, the courts involved had yet to notify plaintiffs whether
the cases would be accepted, while judicial authorities were
warning lawyers to back off, Beijing attorney Li Fangping told
AFP.
"This pressure is being placed on all of us," said Li, who is
advising a number of potential plaintiffs.
The first case was filed in late September in central Henan
province, said the Shanghai-based attorney in that case, Ji Cheng.
He declined further comment.
State media reported last week that another case had been filed in
southern Guangdong province in early October, with the latest suit
filed Monday in Gansu province in the northwest where the scandal
first emerged.
All seek damages from Sanlu Group, the dairy firm at the centre of
the scandal.
"There should be an answer within seven days, but at this point the
cases have not been formally accepted," said Li, who is advising
several potential plaintiffs.
Dong Junming, the lawyer in the Gansu lawsuit, confirmed he had not
been told if the case would be accepted by the official deadline
next Monday.
He also acknowledged the pressure on lawyers, but declined to
comment.
The warnings appear to indicate fears
by the stability-obsessed ruling Communist Party that a slew of
lawsuits could embarrass the government and unleash social
unrest.
But Li said many more cases were likely, based on official
government estimates of the number of children affected.
"Many adversely affected consumers just can't wait anymore and I
think that in late October we will see many more lawsuits coming
forward," said Li, adding that many of his clients would be among
them.
In perhaps the biggest of a string of Chinese product safety scares
in recent years, the melamine was apparently added to watered-down
milk to give it the appearance of a higher protein
content.
