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Should the death penalty be used in China?

By MSN NZ staff
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Two people were executed in China yesterday for their roles in a tainted baby formula scandal (Getty Images)
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Two people were executed in China yesterday for their roles in the San Lu tainted baby formula scandal.

Zhang Yujun was executed for endangering public safety and Geng Jinping for producing and selling toxic food, according to the New Zealand Herald. Read more: Amnesty urges Fonterra to condemn executions

At least six children died and more than 300,000 became sick last year as a result of ingesting the baby formula containing melamine.

The scandal was big news in New Zealand because Fonterra had a 43 per cent in San Lu.

Melamine, which can cause kidney stones, is used to make plastics, fertilisers and even concrete.

It's been alleged that San Lu officials were aware of the melamine problem by early August 2008 but didn't tell the public for six weeks as China wanted to save face for the Beijing Olympics.

A total of 21 San Lu executives and middlemen were tried and sentenced in January by a court in the northern city of Shijiazhuang for their involvement in the case.

San Lu's former general manager, Tian Wenhua, received a life jail sentence while three other former executives got between five years and 15 years in prison.

A Fonterra spokesman said "the whole incident has been a terrible tragedy".

Do you think the death penalty should have been used in this case? Or should Fonterra and the New Zealand Government publicly condemn the executions?

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User comments
maybe if all countrys have the death penalty them people might not do the crime thats whats missing from all countrys like us as parents seem to have lost control of everything. life for a life thats fair enough i think what gives that one person the in the first place to take a life bring the deathpenalty back
This scandal has brought sickness and death to small children. I would happily sign a death sentence for such a crime in fact we should have it here it would stop the High rate of criminal activity
i reckon the c hinese justice system is based more on reality than the PC world we live in..
While on the one hand I personally think the judgements were harsh, on the other hand the two executives who were executed did cause the death of several babies. Which brings me to comment on the Chinese judicial system. In a word, I won't. How on earth can I criticize it when we in NZ have our crocked up system. We have just had 33 dogs brutally massacred. Absolutely sickening!! It's going to be interesting what the two lowlifes who did this eventually get convicted of, and what their sentences will be. As for the dogs' owner, how come he had all those dogs some of which apparently weren't registered. Where was the Council on this one. We have the laws but little is ever done about the enforcement of them. Which brings me back to the Chinese judicial system. At least theirs appears to have consequences.
The reason why these 2 officials were executed is perfectly clear. Like all big business they are involved making money out of the masses. Fonterra like many other organisations messed up, and unfortuanatly,the fat cats at the top, have to answer for their dirty dealings. Corruption on a world scale is becoming more and more open , and it's about time. Humanity has suffered for thousands of years because of mans greed for profit and gain. I say " Good on the Chinese", Iran takes the hands off the thieves, China takes the lives off mass murderers...
If these miscreants waned to stoke the nitrogen content of milk formula they could have easily used a less toxic (and cheaper!) bio-chemical waste product like Urea. Ignorance caused them to use the more expensive toxic Melamine, a cyclic amine used as an intermediate in resin manufacture for both paint and plastic manufacture.They deserve everything they got ..." An eye for an eye", serves the vast majority as far as I am concerned!
no it shouldn't because it is not very nice they should baned it also sent them to jail
It's not nice
It's not nice
Colin You are Nasty piece of work mate. But I think you enjoy the comments given to your Nastiness aye .If you have nothing nice to say then crawl into your Cave and close the rock door.

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