Chinese lawyers face pressure to drop milk cases

BEIJING - Lawyers advising the families of children sickened in China's tainted milk scandal said Tuesday they are facing growing official pressure to withdraw from the cases.

loose grouping of more than 100 lawyers across China have been offering free legal advice to the families of children who became ill after drinking milk laced with the industrial chemical melamine

already has helped the parents of a 1-year-old boy who developed kidney stones after drinking tainted milk to file a lawsuit against the dairy at the center of the crisis, Sanlu Group Co

At least four babies have died and more than 54,000 children have been sickened

At least 14 lawyers from Henan province who have been advising victims' families were told by officials from the provincial government's justice department to stop their activities

government has also imposed controls on media coverage of the crisis, suggesting it does not want it to become a focal point