Parents take milk claims to Hong Kong

Fonterra says it is sceptical of the legal foundation for a claim against the company at the Hong Kong Small Claims Tribunal over the melamine poisoning debacle in China.

It said on Tuesday the tribunal had adjourned until May 25 a claim against a Fonterra company, requiring the claimants to provide some evidence in support of their claim.

Frustrated by their inability to get compensation in China, four parents whose children were poisoned in the country's tainted milk scandal on Tuesday took their cases to Hong Kong.

Fonterra was never accused of wrongdoing but, through a Hong Kong subsidiary, it was a 43 per cent shareholder in the now-defunct Chinese dairy company Sanlu Group, one of the firms at the heart of the milk scandal.

Lawyer Peng Jian, whose firm represents about 200 parents of Sanlu victims, said a US$132 million fund set up to compensate victims required an onerous application procedure and did not treat victims fairly, so four of his clients were seeking compensation in Hong Kong.

On Tuesday, Peng and client Chen Lu attended the first hearing in Hong Kong's Small Claims Tribunal.

Chen said her 3-year-old daughter suffered from kidney stones after drinking baby formula made from Sanlu milk powder since birth.

"I have paid medical expenses. I don't work so I can stay home and take care of my child. Fonterra should pay me appropriate compensation," Chen said after Tuesday's hearing.

Chen has been awarded 2000 yuan ($406) in compensation in China and is seeking another HK$14,800 ($2642) in Hong Kong.

- NZPA