A group of Chinese parents whose children were poisoned by domestic dairy products tainted with
Melamine said they planned to reject a government-sanctioned compensation package. Instead, they said they are going to press for long-term health care for the victims and demand medical research into the illnesses that still afflict tens of thousands of children. Over the last few days the parents have gathered more than 250 signatures and have become a serious challenge to officials seeking to quiet public outrage over the widespread contamination of
China's dairy supply.
The offer currently on the table, which is to be financed by 22
Chinese diary companies, amounts to around $29,000 for each family that lost a child and about $4,400 for each child who suffered serious kidney damage from
Melamine poisoning. The families of children with relatively minor health problems are to receive around $290. That is about three months of the average
Chinese worker's salary.
[New York Times: Parents Reject China Milk Settlement (January 13, 2009)]