Inside China Today

One hundred day mourning for Sichuan earthquake victims watched over by heavy police presence

Mourners of the May 12 Sichuan earthquake victims marking the 100th day anniversary of their death were closely monitored by police dispatched by China’s communist regime.

Over 16000 students died in Wenchuan, and the 100th day anniversary was marked by three days of continuous rain. Mourning parents who gathered at the remains of their child’s school which collapsed during the earthquake were greeted by a heavy police presence.

Parent Mrs Jiang says despite the days of rain, parents from all over have come to remember their children and there were thousands of people on that day alone. She says the government has sent a lot of police, who along with police and propaganda vehicles are stationed at main roads and intersections. She says the parents just want to remember their children and all feel terrible.

For the past three months, parents have been protesting to the government and requesting investigations into the causes behind the numerous school collapses. The Chinese communist regime responded by trying to quieten parents with compensation as well as preventing them from petitioning to seek the cause of substandard school constructions, and many parents are being detained for extended periods.

Another parent revealed that they are being closely monitored by officials and have no where to voice their concerns. Mrs Liu says some of them prepared to go to Mianzhu Middle School to enquire about the progress of investigations, but before they even arrived, the government had sent police and public security personnel to the school. She says their phone calls and activities are all being monitored.

Fearing parents may extend their cries for help to the international community, local authorities are telling parents to let the country handle its own issues and not to divulge bad news to overseas media.

Sichuan environmentalist and editor of the now banned Cultural Person magazine Tan Zhuoren says each parent who had collected monetary compensation have been asked to sign some form of agreement which mainly purports to them accepting that the children’s death was caused by the earthquake. Tan says this will prevent future law suites against the government, and parents are expected to be grateful for the compensation.

It is believed that over 30,000 people participated in the 100th day memorial civilities.

The above news is brought to you by Li Xinghue, Zi Yui and Chris Thomas for Inside China Today on the SOH Radio Network.