Sanlu wound reopened
- Source: Global Times
- [02:29 November 10 2009]
- Comments
By Wen Tao
Father of a Sanlu Group milk powder victim claims that he experienced unwarranted police brutality which he believes is associated with his ongoing court case with Sanlu Group.
Wang Gang, 36, is currently struggling to take legal action against the Sanlu Group and receive compensation for his 2-year-old son, Wang Ziyuan, who suffered from kidney stone and still suffers from anemia as a result of drinking the tainted milk powder. The family was forced to sell their house to cover the medical expenses.
His case was accepted by the Daxing court four months ago. The Daxing District Court told the Global Times on November 4 that Wang's case would go to trial at 2 pm, November 10.
On the day after the notice was received, the parents took their son to the Beijing Children's Hospital for a routine checkup. On the way home, Wang was stopped by three police officers from Yangfangdian police station. "They searched all my pockets, without showing their credentials. They said it was a random inspection, and were very brutal," Wang said.
"Why don't you just strip me naked!" Wang said recounting the event. "One of the officers said, ‘You want to be naked, we'll find you a place to be naked.'" He was forced into the police van and handcuffed. The officers would not allow his wife and son to go with him, but Wang insisted. After his protests, his family was taken to the station for questioning in the same vehicle.
"The driver slammed on the brakes twice. There weren't even any vehicles ahead. I was handcuffed and my wife had a baby in her arms. It really hurt," Wang said.
Wang was held in a cell at the Yangfangdian police station for about two hours. He reported the incident to the police inspection department in Haidian district. A deputy chief of the Yangfangdian police station surnamed Zhang called Wang later that day, inviting Wang to come down to the station and address the dispute. Zhang refused to give any comment.
"Before I left for the station, I told my wife I'd be prepared for any consequences. I just asked her to take care of our babies," Wang said. Due to pleas from his wife, Wang did not go. The next morning, he received a phone call from the Daxing court, telling him the trial has been postponed indefinitely.
"It's hard for me not to relate my illegal detention with the call from the court," Wang said. According to lawyers involved in Sanlu's case, only five such cases have ever been accepted by courts nationwide thus far.
Xiao Limin, spokesman for the Daxing court told the Global Times that the judge did not give a precise reason for the postponement. "Maybe they have too many cases to handle. Some of them may be more important," Xiao said.
Wang is one of the few who do not accept the government's compensation plan for Sanlu milk powder victims. Official statistics show that 95 percent of victims accepted the plan.
Wang initially requested 400,000 yuan ($58,600) compensation, but his case was turned down partly because he couldn't afford the 7,000 yuan ($1,025) of legal costs.
Wang's new plea is 10,000 yuan ($1,465) for medical costs and one yuan ($0.15) for mental damages incurred from the incident. "So I only have to pay 33 yuan in legal fees but I plan to raise it to 100,000 yuan ($14,650) when the court is opened," said Wang.
