China executes two for selling poison milk that killed six babies

The first two men behind the tainted milk scandal in China that killed at least six children and made 300,000 ill were executed today.

Zhang Yujun, a middleman, and Geng Jinping, former head of a local dairy firm, were among 21 people tried and sentenced in January for their roles in producing milk intentionally laced with melamine.

The official Xinhua news agency, citing a court statement, said Zhang was executed "for the crime of endangering public safety by dangerous means", while Geng was convicted of producing and selling toxic food.

The case was one of China's worst food safety scandals, involving tainting of infant formula with the industrial chemical which can cause kidney stones and kidney failure.

Melamine, used to make plastics and fertiliser, was added to watered-down milk to fool inspectors testing for protein, and to boost profits.

Zhang produced more than 770 tonnes of melamine-laced protein powder, of which he sold more than 600 tonnes, between July 2007 and August last year. Geng sold more than 900 tonnes of tainted milk.

Their sentences were upheld in March by an appeal court in the northern city of Shijiazhuang.

China requires death sentences to receive final approval from the Supreme People's Court in Beijing, after which most are carried out by lethal injection.

Other sentences handed out to the middlemen and executives involved included a suspended death penalty for one, life imprisonment for three, 15-year jail terms for two and varying sentences for the 13 other accused.

Families of the victims focused their anger on Tian Wenhua, manager of food company Sanlu, which sold the most tainted milk, and said they felt betrayed that she would not face execution.

Tian pleaded guilty late last year to charges that did not carry the death sentence.