Were Officials Warned in Advance about the Earthquake in China?

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Were Officials Warned in Advance about the Earthquake in China?

Written by Robert Vance on May 13, 2008 – 9:21 am

My Chinese friends tell me that a report on CCTV tonight claimed that officials in Sichuan Province were warned in advance of a possible earthquake in their region. The report suggested that they chose to ignore the warnings so as not to alarm people and further darken the black clouds that already hang over the 2008 Olympic Games. According to my friends, the report suggested that Beijing would punish the officials in question by firing them and removing them from the Party. My friends were not clear on how the officials obtained information prior to the earthquake or if it was even available in time to evacuate people from buildings.

Whether or not these reports are true or not has little bearing on the death and destruction that has been wrought upon western China in the last 32 hours. Regardless of what happened before the quake, the Chinese government has responded quickly to the disaster and by all accounts, rescuers are working tirelessly to save as many people as possible. No matter how many soldiers and equipment are sent in, the task of rescuing the thousands of people who are trapped is a daunting task. Rescuers have not only the victims to worry about but also their own personal safety. The slightest aftershocks could send more structures to the ground. Many rescuers are working in a very volatile and dangerous environment.

It is to be hoped that the Chinese government will set aside any hard feelings about Tibet and the Olympics and allow other governments to assist in the rescue effort. The mistakes made by the government in Mynamar must not be repeated in China. There are thousands of people who crying out for help in China and they could not care less whether it is a Chinese, French, American, or English person who comes to save them. They just want to live.

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