Special report: Reconstruction After Earthquake

¡¤The audit offices and fiscal departments were asked to track the donation.
¡¤The supervision departments would inspect the government’s management on donations. ¡¤The media are encouraged to keep a close eye on any malpractice.

    BEIJING, May 31 (Xinhua) — China’s State Council, or cabinet, issued a circular Saturday to tighten management on donated quake relief material and fund, asking the audit offices, supervision departments and media to watch over malpractice.

    It asked the audit offices and fiscal departments to track how the government departments and non-governmental organizations handled the donation and publicize the results regularly.

    The supervision departments would inspect the government’s management on donations and severely punish the offenders while the media are encouraged to keep a close eye on any malpractice and report their findings, the circular said.

    The police and judicial departments would crack down upon fraud in name of collecting donations for quake relief, it added.

    As of Saturday noon, China has received donations worth of about 40.1 billion yuan (5.81 billion U.S. dollars) from domestic and overseas donors.

    How to well manage such a huge sum of money and let it really benefit victims has been commonly talked about by the media and ordinary Chinese citizens.

    China’s Supreme People’s Court and Supreme People’s Procuratorate had vowed to crack down upon corruption in quake relief earlier this month.

    He Guoqiang, China’s top anti-graft official of the Communist Party of China (CPC), also warned on Wednesday of “quick, strict and harsh penalties” on those found withholding or embezzling quake relief funds and supplies.

    The cabinet circular listed four principles for donation management. Donation should be made voluntarily rather than compulsorily; organizations should respect donors’ will in using the donations; donations should go to the exact needs of quake relief and rehabilitation, especially to hard-hit areas; governments and organizations should follow a legal and standardized way to distribute donations and publicize the results timely.

    It defined what organizations were in place to receive donations. The civil affairs departments would receive donations in name of the government and other departments could collect donations from their own staff.

    Public offering foundations whose duties include disaster relief, such as Red Cross Society of China (RCSC), could raise donations from the public. Other non-governmental organizations are required to pass over donations they raised to the government or qualified public offering foundations.

    Any department and organization should follow the law on donations for public welfare to set up strict management on donated fund and material and write legal invoices for donors, according to the circular.

    It also urged local governments to improve efficiency in distributing relief fund and material and avoid misuse and waste.

    The civil affairs departments were banned to include operation cost in expenditure of donated fund and it would be covered by the government budget. Public offering foundations were required to minimize their operation expense and report the expenditure to the public, the circular said.

    The Ministry of Civil Affairs would be in charge of publicizing nationwide donations management reports. Local governments and public foundations are required to give regular and detailed report on how much they received and how to use them, it said.

    Now the ministry makes daily report on the amount of donations received and forwarded to the quake areas. The RCSC also released the detailed list of donated fund and material on its website.

World’s largest passenger plane delivers tents to quake-hit Sichuan

    BEIJING, May 31 (Xinhua) — An Airbus A380 carrier carrying more than 1,100 tents for people left homeless by the 8.0-magnitude earthquake, arrived in China’s southwest Sichuan Province on Saturday.

    The plane took off from Charles De Gaulle Airport in Paris at 4p.m. on Friday (local time) and landed at Shuangliu International Airport in the provincial capital Chengdu at 8:45 a.m. on Saturday.  Full story

China’s State Council sets rules on management of relief supplies, funds 

    BEIJING, May 31 (Xinhua) — Discrimination and nepotism in the distribution of relief goods are not tolerated, China’s State Council earthquake relief headquarters declared on Friday, and the legitimate rights of donors and recipients must be respected.

    At a meeting to discuss the better management of relief supplies and funds for victims of the May 12 earthquake, a notice issued at the end of the session said all donations must only be used for quake relief and quake-hit regions’ reconstruction. They cannot be appropriated for other purposes.  Full story

    BEIJING, May 31 (Xinhua) — The Pakistan Embassy in Beijing raised more than 300,000 yuan (43,183 U.S. dollars) through a fund-raising bazaar here on Saturday, as part of efforts to contribute to the relief for the May 12 earthquake survivors in southwest China.

    The bazaar included Pakistani food and beverage stalls, handicrafts, henna art and toys for children. The capital’s Pakistani community, including businessmen, students and media, as well as Chinese officials, business representatives, scholars and members of the diplomatic corps, attended.

    Abdul Salik Khan, Charge d’Affaires of the Pakistan Embassy, reaffirmed the sentiments of sympathy, support and solidarity by Pakistanis and leadership for the people of China at this hour of trial.

    Yang Jian, a representative of the Chinese Foreign Ministry, expressed gratitude on behalf of the government and people of China to the Government of Pakistan for extending relief assistance, and to the Pakistan Embassy for holding the fund-raiser.

    She thanked Pakistan for providing tents, and termed it a genuine expression of the all-weather Pakistan-China friendship.

    The gathering observed a minute of silence and lit candles in remembrance of those who had lost their lives in the quake.

    The money, which was raised through sales from the bazaar, donations and pledges, will be sent to the quake-hit area through the Chinese Foreign Ministry.

    Pakistan has provided 22,260 tents, a mobile field hospital and some other relief supplies to the quake-hit zone. A Pakistani medical team was also deployed for the relief work.

Special report: Reconstruction After Earthquake

    MIANYANG, Sichuan, May 31 (Xinhua) — The diversion project to drain a dangerous lake in China’s quake-hit Sichuan was completed at 10 p.m. on Saturday, a water resources official said.

    By 10 p.m. Saturday, about 135,500 cubic meters of mud and rocks have been removed from the Tangjiashan quake-formed lake, leaving a 475-meter-long channel up to 10 meters wide on the giant blockage, said Liu Ning, chief engineer of the Ministry of Water Resources and deputy director of the diversion project.

The evacuees, mainly members of the water and electricity section of the People’s Armed Police Force, prepare to board on the helicopter at the dam site of quake-induced Tangjiashan Lake in southwest China’s Sichuan Province, May 31, 2008. The first group of 15 earthquake relief workers handling the Tangjiashan quake-formed lake in China’s Sichuan Province boarded a helicopter at 8:35 a.m. Saturday and were evacuated from the dam site. (Xinhua Photo)

    The quake lake was formed when the May 12 earthquake triggered landslides and blocked a river. The lake, which holds nearly 200 million cubic meters of water, threatened to burst through the loose blockage and flood millions of people downstream.

    The water level of the lake, which had been rising about 1.6 meters daily, was seven meters from the lowest point of the blockage, Liu said.

    He added that the plan to blow off the blockage with explosives has been abandoned, as the diversion channel has been completed on time.

    More than 10 tons of dynamite carried to the blockage by soldiers trekking mountains have been earlier taken back, so was surplus fuel and garbage, to avoid environmental pollution.

The major project of a sluice — an irregular cube designed to discharge flooded water — from the Tangjiashan Lake is completed at quake-induced Tangjiashan Lake in southwest China’s Sichuan Province, May 31, 2008. The first group of 15 earthquake relief workers handling the Tangjiashan quake-formed lake in China’s Sichuan Province boarded a helicopter at 8:35 a.m. Saturday and were evacuated from the dam site.(Xinhua Photo)

    It is expected that the rising water will run over the blockage and continue its trip through the man-made canal. According to Liu, this may happen between June 1-5.

    More than 600 armed police have been working around the clock over the last six days on the canal cut out on the blockage.

    By Saturday night, more than 340 soldiers and engineers have left Tangjiashan, officials said.

    The first group of 15 workers, mainly soldiers of the hydropower corps of the People’s Armed Police Force, left in a helicopter at 8:35 a.m. Saturday, a Xinhua reporter at the site said.

    They were taken to the Nanjiao Military Airport in Mianyang City for rest, he said.

    The remaining 300 people will stay through Saturday night, and most of them would leave by Sunday noon, said Zhou Xiangjun, an armed police officer. About 20 soldiers would stay at Tangjiashan to monitor the situation, he said.

    On Saturday, the soldiers left in helicopters and some left on foot.

    ”We prefer the airlift if weather permits. If the weather turns bad, we will walk out tomorrow morning,” said Yue Xi, deputy chief of hydropower corps.

    It takes 40 minutes to reach the airport in Mianyang and six to seven hours by foot. Evacuees have to cross two mountains if they choose to walk out, he said.

    A total of 197,477 people were evacuated to safe ground as of 8a.m. Saturday in line with an emergency plan, an official with the quake relief headquarters of Mianyang City said.

    Tan Li, Communist Party chief of Mianyang and head of Mianyang City Quake Control and Relief Headquarters, on Friday renewed an order that 1.3 million people living downstream from Tangjiashan must be evacuated to higher grounds demarcated by the government.

    At 4 p.m. Thursday, Tan issued a No. 1 order demanding that about 200,000 people living downstream from Tangjiashan in the main urban districts of Mianyang should start evacuation by 8 a.m. Saturday. The evacuation must be completed by 8 a.m. Sunday.

    Two other plans require the relocation of 1.2 million people if the half of the lake volume was released, or 1.3 million if the whole landslide blockage is washed away.

    On Saturday night, the downtown Mianyang city appeared deserted, with shops shuttered and several streets cordoned off. Sandbags were stacked at the doors of houses and buildings along the projected flood path to prevent watering from getting in.

    Residents who have not so far evacuated were put through evacuation drills in the past week. They were informed that flood warnings will be communicated through signal shots and sirens.

    The 8.0-magnitude tremor, which has claimed 68,977 lives as of Saturday, left 34 quake lakes in its aftermath, of which 28 threaten to burst.

    Hu Yun, deputy director of the Sichuan provincial water resources department, said the danger at the quake lakes would be defused by June 10.

Mass evacuation underway for fear of “quake lake” burst

    MIANYANG, Sichuan, May 30 (Xinhua) — Up to 1.3 million people in southwest China’s Sichuan Province have been ordered to evacuate to higher grounds for fear of a major “quake lake” burst as a result of flooding and strong aftershocks.

    Tan Li, Party Secretary of Mianyang City and chief of Mianyang City Quake Control and Relief Headquarters, on Friday renewed an order that 1.3 million people living downstream from Tangjiashan, a swelling quake-induced lake, must evacuate to higher grounds demarcated by government departments. Full story

China allocates 200 mln yuan to relieve “quake lake” threat

    BEIJING, May 28 (Xinhua) — China’s Ministry of Finance said Wednesday that the government allocated 200 million yuan (28.6 million U.S. dollars) from the central budget for Sichuan Province to deal with the swelling lakes formed by this month’s devastating earthquake.

    Many such lakes are threatening to burst and flood downstream areas. Full story

Special report: Reconstruction After Earthquake

    GENEVA, May 31 (Xinhua) — The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) has increased its appeal for China’s earthquake to 96.7 million Swiss francs (about 92.7 million U.S. dollars) to support some 500,000 people in three years.

    ”People have lost so much and are very uncertain about their future…we need to ensure that they are receiving the support critical to long term survival,” Pablo Medina, IFRC operations coordinator for China’s earthquake, said in a statement released late Friday.

    ”The Red Cross Society of China has been working around the clock to provide basic relief, medical and shelter assistance and we are fully committed to supporting their efforts in any way we can,” he said.

    In the immediate term, the IFRC will support Chinese Red Cross volunteers and staff to meet the most critical needs of survivors, including emergency shelter, psychosocial support, the prevention and control of disease outbreaks, water and sanitation.

    To this end, the IFRC is sending 100,000 tents to the affected areas.

    In addition, a Red Cross Red Crescent mass sanitation unit has been deployed in the affected area. Once operational it will provide sanitation facilities for 20,000 people.

    In the longer term, the IFRC efforts will focus on the construction of health centers and schools, along with permanent homes for about 2,000 rural families whose houses were completely destroyed in the May 12 earthquake.

    A significant focus for the ongoing IFRC operation will be to continue close collaboration with the Red Cross Society of China as they strengthen and develop their disaster management, health, water and sanitation capacities.

    The IFRC issued a preliminary emergency appeal for 20 million Swiss francs (about 19.3 million dollars) on May 15.

    Till midday Saturday, the 8.0-magnitude quake with its epicenter in Wenchuan county of southwestern Sichuan province has killed 68,977 people, injured 367,854 and left 17,974 missing.

Special report: Reconstruction After Earthquake

    LANZHOU, May 31 (Xinhua) — Leading experts from China’s National Earthquake Experts Commission have called for external help for Longnan City, the worst-hit area of the northwestern Gansu Province in the May 12 earthquake.

    Twenty experts from the Science and Technology Ministry, Chinese Academy of Sciences and Gansu Province had formed a disaster assessment team and visited several towns in the worst-hit Wenxian County on Wednesday and Thursday.

    They said the situation in Longnan was much worse than thought. Currently, the city was doing relief work by itself and was in dire need of external help.

    Some hospitals, especially those in towns, were badly damaged and were in urgent need of medical facilities. Religious sites there were also seriously damaged and needed repair. Houses at risk should be dismantled to avoid further damage, garbage needed to be moved out and tents and food were also needed as the flood season approached, experts found.

    Science and Technology Ministry Vice Minister Liu Yanhua suggested the provincial government set up an earthquake experts commission as soon as possible and have a further assessment of the damage to provide a reference for the reconstruction.

    The earthquake killed 364 people and injured 7,560 in Gansu, according to the latest statistics.

Special report: Reconstruction After Earthquake

    BEIJING, May 31 (Xinhua) — Visiting the grand National Stadium and viewing the solemn national flag raising ceremony, the dreams of children from quake-hit regions came true on Saturday, just ahead of the upcoming International Children’s Day.

    About 150 students from quake-hit Sichuan Province were invited to China’s capital in recent days to spend Sunday’s Children’s Day together with their peers.

    At 4:50 a.m. on Saturday, the students gathered at Tianan’men Square to watch the national flag raising ceremony, living out their own dreams as well as as those of the deceased.

    Feng Zhiyan, a primary school student from Hongbai Township of Shifang City, is the youngest child in her family. She lost her father, Feng Qiang, a teacher of Hongbai Middle School, during the quake.

    ”I feel my father is beside me and he has not left,” she said. Her father sacrificed his life to save his colleagues.

    ”I love and respect my father,” she said. “I really hope he can stand beside me now to watch the ceremony.”

    Zhang Ming, a student from Beichuan Middle School, together with 40 classmates watched the ceremony with excitement. “This is my first time to come to Beijing and I was so exited to go to bed last night.”

    But when he talked about his nine classmates killed during the catastrophe, his eyes fill with tears. “I miss my classmates and they had always dreamed of coming to Beijing too.”

    The devastating earthquake on May 12 claimed 68,977 lives and left 367,854 injured and 17,974 missing. It was unknown how many victims were students, but about 7,000 schools reportedly collapsed.

    The Chinese government has promised to conduct safety appraisals of “all school buildings” in the quake zone as soon as possible to ensure the safety of students as they return to school.

    Meanwhile, various activities were organized to help survivor children to come out from the nightmare of the calamity, such as in providing regular psychological consultation to children.

    The Chinese Communist Youth League encouraged children out of the quake-hit regions to write letters and donate toys to their contemporaries in quake-stricken areas.

    Publishers donated 12.83 million yuan (1.85 million U.S. dollars) worth of children’s books to young readers in quake-hit Sichuan Province to mark the Children’s Day.

    Gu Xiulian, the All-China Women’s Federation president, joined in the activities in Beijing and encouraged the children to look forward to the future.

    ”Let us spend the Children’s Day together and let us to make a concerted effort to build better homes and create a bright prospect,” she said.