Candies seized as children fall ill

DENPASAR, Bali: Klungkung Police seized some 22,000 candies suspected to be causing severe food poisoning among children in seven elementary schools. One of the ill children was the son of Klungkung Police chief Lt. Col. Happy Kartika.

Kartika said here on Friday that for the past two days officers searched marketplaces and street vendors for the candies produced by a Surabaya-based company, PT Bintang Timur.

Students at Samapura Tengah Elementary School complained of headache and nausea and vomited after consuming the candies sold at Rp 100 per piece in the school cafeteria.

Reports of similar food poisoning came in from six other schools. A sample of the candies was sent to the drug and food control lab for further investigation. Kartika said police suspected the candies were contaminated with pesticide.

"But we have yet to complete the probe," Happy said. (50/edt)