Four people are on trial in south China's boom city Shenzhen on charges of deliberately poisoning food at a snack bar, killing two diners and sickening 63 others early this year.

The suspects include a private business runner, a manager of the Hong Kong-listed BYD Company and two migrants.

Zhu Yuanlin, a 33-year-old businessman from Huidong County in Guangdong Province, was suspected to have masterminded the poisoning to pressure the local government into demolishing a booming marketplace that had left his own stores in the same neighborhood unfrequented, according to the prosecution.

On Feb. 20, Zhu reached a deal with BYD Company's human resources manager Zhang Zhenhua, who would get a 500,000 yuan (71,500 US dollars) discount in rental fees to run a skating rink, bar and billiards at Zhu's stores.

In exchange, Zhang would have to rid the marketplace by all means within four weeks.

Zhu and Zhang agreed that massive food poisoning at its eateries would force the government to demolish the market. Zhang sent his friend Ke Bizhi, a migrant worker, to buy sodium nitrite, and Wang Yingde, another migrant, sneaked into a snack bar early on Feb. 23 to throw the chemical.

All the 65 people who had lunch at the snack bar that day were poisoned. Most of the victims were employees of the nearby BYD Company. A 21-year-old man and a woman of 18 died.

Police detected sodium nitrite in the water collected from the restaurant drains and cloths used to cover food. The chemical was also found on top of the kitchen ranges.

"I didn't know what it was," Wang said at court Monday. "I just did what I'd been told."

Zhang and Ke also claimed they didn't know sodium nitrite was toxic. "I thought it could cause diarrhea at most," said Zhang.

Ke said he "googled" for a store to buy the chemical. "I should have googled what it was as well."

The Shenzhen Intermediate People's Court heard the case Monday and would announce its verdict on a separate date.

BYD has 120,000 employees in China and produces rechargeable batteries, IT parts and autos.

(Xinhua News Agency October 21, 2008)