China tries to curb tainted-milk vigil
Last Updated: Thursday, September 10, 2009 | 8:07 AM ET
CBC News
Chinese police were stopping parents of children sickened in the country's tainted milk powder scandal from going to Beijing to mark the first anniversary of the tragedy with a vigil, an activist said Thursday.
Friday marks one year since Sept. 11, 2008, when a Chinese dairy recalled hundreds of tons of baby formula in one of country's worst food safety scandals. Milk powder contaminated with an industrial chemical killed at least six babies and sickened almost 300,000 others with painful kidney stones.
Eleven parents had planned to hold a small commemoration in Beijing on Friday with a dinner, lighting of candles, and prayers for the children, said Zhao Lianhai, the father of a sickened child who has rallied other families online.
On Wednesday, police detained one parent while he was making his way to Beijing by train and warned another not to attend the event, Zhao said, adding that two other parents were no longer reachable on their cellphones.
The commemoration effort comes as Chinese authorities try to curb demonstrations in the lead-up to the 60th anniversary of the Communist Party's rule on Oct. 1 by detaining leading dissidents and harassing lawyers who defend them.
The milk scandal sickened people beyond China's borders, and a long list of countries —including Canada, the U.S. and the European Union — banned imports of baby food containing Chinese milk.
In January, a Chinese court sentenced three former top executives of Sanlu Group, the company at the heart of the scandal. Two men were given death sentences, while a woman received a life sentence.
With files from The Associated Press
