Made in (The People's Republic of) China: January 2009 Archives

The New Straits Times Press (Malayasia) - By BERNAMA
January 29, 2009

Malaysia Airlines (MAS) has removed chicken from its inflight menu for flights out of China, effective today.

This follows the government's indefinite ban on chicken imports from that country.

In a statement here, the airline said fish, mixed seafood and beef would be served, depending on the sectors.

However, it said chicken would remain on the menu for flights out of Malaysia, as the meat here is sourced from local farms.

Its general manager for inflight services, Hayati Ali said the safety of passengers was the priority for MAS.

>> Original source

By Karl Malakunas - Agence France Presse | via UNCENSORED Yahoo! News
January 23, 2009

Angry parents of victims in China's milk scandal accused the government Friday of holding show trials and giving little help to their sick children, after the high-profile sentencing of 21 people.

A court in northern China on Thursday gave two men the death penalty and jailed 18 others for terms ranging from two years to life for their roles in the poisoning of milk last year with the industrial chemical melamine.

The melamine was mixed into watered-down milk in what was apparently a widespread practice to give dairy products the appearance of higher protein content.

The state-run media said the verdicts had delivered justice to the families of the six babies who died and nearly 300,000 others who fell ill after drinking the contaminated milk last year.

But parents contacted by AFP disagreed.

"Of course the verdicts are not just, especially the verdict of Tian Wenhua," said Li Xuemei, the mother of a sick baby, referring to a life term given to the former boss of the main dairy firm implicated in the scandal.

Li and other parents wanted the death penalty for Tian, 66, a former member of China's ruling Communist Party and head of the Sanlu dairy company who is the highest-profile person to have faced court over the scandal.

They questioned whether she may have got a lighter sentence because of her contacts with powerful people.

They also asked why no government officials had been charged, while referring to long-standing accusations that local authorities in the northern city of Shijiazhuang where Sanlu is based were part of a cover up.

"So far no-one in the Shijiazhuang government has been punished," said Ma Hongbin, the father of a sick baby in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen, who is informally representing other parents.

>> Complete report

By REUTERS | The Epoch Times
January 02, 2009

BEIJING--A group of parents whose children fell ill from drinking tainted Chinese milk have been detained by police apparently trying to block them from holding a news conference, one of the fathers said on Friday.

At least six children have died from kidney stones and more than 290,000 made ill from the melamine-contaminated milk, battering already dented faith in China-made products and prompting massive recalls around the world.

Tian Wenhua, 66-year-old former general manager of the now bankrupt Sanlu Group, pleaded guilty on Wednesday to charges of "producing and selling fake or substandard products". She is expected to be sentenced to life imprisonment, the Beijing News said.

One of the fathers, whose 13-month-old son suffers from severe kidney stones, said some parents, including himself, were taken to a labor camp on the outskirts of Beijing.

"We are under house arrest now, and they did not give us any reasons why they kept us here," the father told Reuters by phone.

Five parents had been detained, but the rest of the group held a news conference on Friday, calling attention to the plight of the children.

"The government said all the medical care is free, but when it comes to the local level, things change. I have already paid more than 50,000 yuan ($7,300) for the operation and cure," said the father, a migrant worker from Sichuan province.

Melamine, an industrial compound used in plastic and fertiliser, was added to milk to cheat protein tests.

Some 22 dairy firms, led by Sanlu, have apologised and asked forgiveness for the contamination.

"We are deeply sorry for the harm caused to the children and society," they said in a New Year text message to millions of phone subscribers.

"We sincerely apologise for that and we beg your forgiveness."

>> Original source

By Agence France Presse - via UNCENSORED Yahoo! News
December 31, 2008

The 'Made-in-China' brand has been tarnished repeatedly in recent years as Chinese consumer goods and food have been recalled around the world after being found to be unsafe.

Here is a list of the key cases and some of the Chinese government responses:

- 2006-2007 - The cancer-causing red dye Sudan IV is found in a series of products in China ranging from cosmetics to poultry and chilli powder, despite being banned in the country.

- March 2007: Pet food in North America and elsewhere around the world is recalled after animals start dying in large numbers. The tainted ingredients turn out to be wheat and rice derivatives from China, to which the chemical melamine -- normally used to make plastic -- had been added to give the appearance of higher protein content.

- June 2007: Countries in several parts of the world recall Chinese-made toothpaste that is found to contain a chemical used in antifreeze for vehicles. China bans it after reports that dozens may have died in Latin America from ingesting it as an ingredient in medicine.

- June 2007 - Importers of Chinese toys to the United States issue recalls after some of these are found to be coated with toxic lead paint. Similar products are later banned in several countries.

- June 2007 - The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recalls 450,000 tyres made by leading manufacturer Hangzhou Zhongce Rubber Co. The company denies that its tyres are defective.

- August 2007: Mattel recalls over 18 million Chinese-made toys over design faults and because some were coated with lead paint, although the US toy company takes responsibility for most of the problems and apologises.

- January 2008: At least 10 consumers in Japan fall ill after eating Chinese-made dumplings, causing a major scare. Chinese officials deny that the contamination originated in their country.

- September 2008: Countries around the world recall or ban Chinese dairy products after melamine is found in milk. At least six infants were known to have died, and 294,000 fell ill after ingesting the tainted milk.

- October 2008: The tainted milk scandal widens when melamine is found in eggs made by a Chinese company, which leads to confirmation the chemical had been added to animal feed.

- December 2008: China bans the use of 17 substances -- some commonly used as disinfectants or insecticides -- as food additives as part of a four-month safety campaign launched following the tainted milk scandal.