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China mourns earthquake victims
AP , BEIJING
Thursday, Apr 22, 2010, Page 5
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Tibetan monks carrying shovels walk beside a
row of paramilitary policemen at the earthquake-hit Gyegu, Qinghai Province,
China, yesterday. Horns and sirens sounded and crowds bowed their heads in
mourning in the province, where an earthquake a week ago devastated Yushu
County, which has a large Tibetan population.
PHOTO: REUTERS
Bowing their heads in silent tribute, thousands of officials, soldiers and
civilians gathered yesterday in ceremonies across China to mourn the 2,064
victims killed in a devastating quake that hit one week ago in a remote Tibetan
region.
At the quake¡¦s epicenter in Yushu County in Qinghai Province, hundreds of rescue
workers, residents and children in school uniforms stood silently for a ceremony
held on a hill with rubble from destroyed buildings behind them. The solemn
gathering was aired live on TV.
Red Chinese flags flew at half-staff as the blaring of horns and sirens from
cars, police vehicles and ambulances sounded in the background after three
minutes of silence that began at 10am.
Dressed in black with a white flower pinned to his chest, Chinese Communist
Party secretary for Qinghai Province Qiang Wei (±j½Ã) called on people to unite
and rebuild in the wake of the quake, which also left more than 12,000 people
injured.
¡§Today, we are gathered here to pay our tribute and send our condolences ¡K The
earthquake showed no mercy, but we have love. Let us wipe our tears off ¡K and
strive to meet a brighter tomorrow and let a more beautiful, wealthy and
socialist Yushu stand on the vast Tibetan Plateau,¡¨ he said.
Light snow fell in Xining, Qinghai¡¦s capital, as tens of thousands gathered in
the town¡¦s main square for formal ceremonies.
Police, government officials, military troops and regular citizens lined up to
lay white flowers on tables laden with bouquets.
In Beijing, Chinese President Hu Jintao (JÀAÀÜ), along with other Chinese leaders,
led a silent tribute ¡§to express our profound condolences¡¨ during a Politburo
meeting, while soldiers in Tiananmen Square lowered the national flag to
half-staff in the early morning as students in school uniforms saluted.
The US embassy and its consulates in China, as well as the EU delegation, flew
their flags at half-staff to show solidarity with China¡¦s tragedy. The US
embassy in Beijing also donated US$100,000 to China¡¦s Red Cross and collected
clothing, blankets and other items for quake victims.
A charity show on Tuesday night, broadcast nationwide by China Central
Television, raised 2.175 billion yuan (US$319 million) for the quake-hit region,
with donations mainly coming from the country¡¦s private and state-owned
enterprises, entertainers, dignitaries and news organizations.
China ordered all flags be flown at half-staff and called a halt to all
entertainment, including online games and sports events, for the national day of
mourning.
Newspapers across the country were printed in black and white, instead of color,
in a sign of national mourning.
Similar arrangements were made two years ago following a larger and deadlier
earthquake in southern Sichuan Province that left nearly 90,000 dead or missing.
Such high-profile displays of government concern are also likely aimed at
tamping any potential unrest among the mostly Tibetan victims.
Conspicuously absent from the ceremonies yesterday were any images of Tibetan
Buddhist monks, who had played a large role in the rescue efforts.
It was unclear whether they were not allowed to attend or chose not to. In
recent days, the state media have largely played down the monks¡¦ role in relief
efforts, focusing instead on government aid.
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