A News Report On The Fuxin Mine Disaster
This post is not about the event itself, but it is about a particular news report. The report had been cross-posted in the usual overseas Chinese websites, but I am going back to the source. The report attracted my attention because it asserted that the true number of deaths is more than 3,000. You read the report first, and my comments are underneath. I have included the Chinese original too, just in case they delete it from their website.
[translation]
On February 14, there was a gas explosion in a coal mine at Sunjiawan, Liaoning province in China. According to the official Chinese report, there were 230 deaths, 6 missing and 29 injuries. This is the single most deadly incident since the founding of the People's Republic in 1949. The authorities have ordered the media not to report the incident. They have also sent it a large number of armed military soldiers to surround the mine and forbid people from entering and leaving.
Informed sources say that there 3,000 to 4,000 dead, but certainly at least 3,000 dead plus an unknown number of missing people. The scene was very sad as the explosion tore everything apart. There were very few intact bodies found.
According to information, the authorities sent Liaoning armed policemen and Beijing police to impose a curfew at Sunjiawan. The army has also been sent in to search for bodies in the mine.
The central government sent a working group led by State Ministry Chief Secretary Hua Jianming to the scene on the day of the explosion. According to information, the chief executive, the mine director and other responsible leaders are under arrest. Furthermore, the workers have been ordered not to work for now, their families are banned from spreading information to the outside and the whole mine area is under a lockdown.
Informed sources say that based upon past practice, the wounded workers who have been sent to the hospital will not be allowed to live, because the living may leak information.
The medical staff on duty at the Fuxian Mining Hospital have responded to reporters' questions.
Those who went down into the mine were hired contract workers with no benefits or insurance. The production at the mine was sub-contracted by the corporation to the mine director, who sub-contracted the job to team leaders, who then contracted downwards to get the workers. The team leaders and other more senior people do not go into the mine themselves. The mine workers earn about 2,000 to 3,000 RMB per month. A team leader has a profit of several tens of thousand RMB per year, while the mine director makes more than 100 million RMB.
Based upon past experience on compensation, the families of the dead miners usually get between 5,000 to 10,000 RMB.
The officials believe that it is cheaper to compensate the families than to install safety systems. The chief executive and the mine director have the money to buy their way out, and they will be released within a couple of days.
The mine director burns joss sticks during the Lunar New Year and the Qingming festival.
The working group from the central government has returned to Beijing. They said that the scene was unbearable to look at. Supposedly, they cried and they hoped that the overseas media would report on the true situation.
Credit: Tian Xi, Europe-based reporter for the Sound Of Hope Radio Network
2月14日辽宁省阜新孙家湾煤矿发生瓦斯爆炸，据中共官方报导，至今已造成230人死亡，6人失踪，29人受伤。这次矿难是中共1949年建政以来死伤最惨重的煤矿事故。当局下令中国媒体禁止报导，并派遣大批武装军队包围矿场入口，禁止人们出入。
知情人介绍说死亡大约三四千人， 至少损失三千多人， 还有不知道的, 而且场面非常凄惨， 都炸碎了， 整个尸体的很少。(采访录音)
据悉，当局调集辽宁武警及北京警力进入孙家湾矿区实行戒严。军队也被调入，下井寻找尸体或残肢。
中央临时成立由国务院秘书长华建敏率领的工作组已在爆炸发生当天赶抵现场。据传，集团公司总裁、矿长等责任人被抓捕。此外，奉上级命令，工人已停工，家属不得外传任何消息，矿区全面封锁---(采访录音)
知情人介绍以往惯例，运到医院的伤员也活不了，不能留下活口，走漏消息---(采访录音)
阜新矿业医院外六科值班人员回答记者---(采访录音)
下井的都是各地雇来的合同工，没有任何保障。煤矿生产运作由集团公司承包给矿长，矿长承包给队长，队长再往下承包---队长以上不用下井，采煤的合同工每月工资2、3千元，队长一年利润几十万，矿长每年上亿---(采访录音)
以往矿难赔偿遇难家属一般5千到1万---(采访录音)
官员认为花钱安装安全设备不如死人赔钱便宜。总裁、矿长花钱买通关系，关两天就放了---(采访录音)
矿长到年关、清明都烧香---(采访录音)
中央派出的工作组近日已返京，描述场面惨不忍睹。据说他们也哭了，也希望海外媒体如实报导---(采访录音)
以上由希望之声驻欧洲记者田溪报导。
As I read through this report, I see the figure 3,000 plus deaths. I can't tell if it is true or false. But I read:
Informed sources say that based upon past practice, the wounded workers who have been sent to the hospital will not be allowed to live, because the living may leak information.
Then I knew that this was utter nonsense that was pulled out of someone's a** without even thinking about the plausibilty factor. Someone else has to be given the job of eliminating the surivivors, and who is going to eliminate them, ad infinitum? The original incident is an industrial disaster like so many others in China, and will blow over soon. But if it should ever come out that the Chinese government is in the habit of eliminating the disaster survivors, the impact would be orders of magnitude worse. In fact, it is doubtful if the government can survive afterwards. There are other absurdities in the report, but it is a waste of my time as well as yours to go any further.
The more interesting question is this: Who puts out these lies? What is the Sound Of Hope Radio Network? I don't know, but I will only note that this particular story was listed underneath the top story, which is a complete reprint of the latest article by F*L*G founder Li Hong*zi. You can take it from there, and ask the next question: Why does the blogosphere take such pleasure in going after the official Chinese media but ignore the lies that appear on the so-called 'dissident' websites?
Here is an even more interesting question: Do you think a country (without even thinking about China) should allow such lies to be promulgated freely in what appears to be traditiional news media? While it is common to say that the eyes of masses are bright as snow and will see through these kinds of lies, is it worth taking risk that some citizens might buy into it? Do you think it is right for some citizens to start believing that survivors from mining disasters are automatically exterminated by their government?
Reference: On the subject of oversesa coverage, see SimonWorld. As for me, I don't know what is right from wrong at this time, but I do know fair is fair. You are supposed to do your homework first before you make your allegations. And it is not that difficult with the simple help of Google, or even Baidu.