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Posted on 10/17/2008 5:29:43 PM PDT by nickcarraway
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.
(Excerpt) Read more at afp.google.com ...
Nice.
I wonder what the consequences are for those poor, brave souls.
that a slew of lawsuits could embarrass the government and unleash social unrest.
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And this attitude of the Chinese government is exactly why I don’t buy A N Y T H I N G that I know comes from or through China.
This is a corrupt regime not deserving of any consideration at all. My advice to the lawyers is to threaten China right back that embarrass is what they’ll do as publicly as they can. These lawsuits should also be filed in the world court. Let’s see what happens there. LOL. Let’s embarrass them too.
Shakespeare is often quoted “kill all lawyers” and we all laugh. In China, it could very well become true.
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