China's milk victims complain of intimidation

[Coventina]

Source: Associated Press

BEIJING (AP) — Local authorities have been pressuring at least a half-dozen families of victims in China's tainted milk scandal into dropping lawsuits demanding compensation from the dairies, victims' advocates said Tuesday.

Zhao Lianhai, father of a child sickened by the milk, has rallied other families through a Web site he created. He said the parents were called or visited by local officials wanting the families to back out of the lawsuits and accept a government-sanctioned compensation plan giving 2,000 yuan ($290) to most victims. At least one family has done so, Zhao said.

"One parent told me, 'I'm more than 30 years old but I've never before seen the county and village officials. Everyone in the family was really scared,'" said Lu Jun, an AIDS activist who has been working with families of tainted milk victims in central China's Henan province.

Wang Zhenping, whose 1 1/2-year-old son became ill after drinking contaminated infant formula, said he has received four phone calls from health bureau officials in Henan's Zhoukou city in the last two weeks. They also have visited his mother's house twice.



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