Facts and Figures About China's Earthquake

Following are the latest facts and figures about the 8.0-magnitude earthquake that rocked southwest China's Sichuan Province on May 12:

-- The death toll from the quake rose to 69,134 nationwide as of Saturday noon, while 374,061 people were injured and 17,681 people were missing.

-- Rescuers saved and evacuated more than 1.37 million people to safe places as of Friday midnight.

-- Hospitals took in 94,964 injured people (patients in the quake zone not included), 76,069 of whom have been discharged as of Saturday noon.

-- Domestic and foreign donations had reached 43.974 billion yuan (6.37 billion U.S. dollars) as of Saturday noon, up 168 million yuan overnight. And 13.59 billion yuan had been forwarded to the earthquake-affected areas.

-- A total of 862,000 tents, one of the most urgently needed relief supplies, had been delivered to quake regions.

-- A total of 4.76 million quilts and 13.46 million item of clothing had been sent to these regions.

-- Some 40,600 temporary houses had been built in the quake zone, with 21,100 in construction as of Friday.

-- Governments at different levels had allocated 23.43 billion yuan (3.395 billion U.S. dollars) as of Saturday noon for quake relief efforts. The fund included 18.9 billion yuan from the central budget and 4.52 billion yuan from local budgets.

-- Between 12:00 p.m. Friday and 12:00 p.m. Saturday, three aftershock measuring between 4.0 to 4.9 on the Richter scale were monitored.

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Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macao reporters invited to cover Tibet after Lhasa riot

Thirty-one reporters from 18 media organizations in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macao traveled in Lhasa for coverage of Tibet on Tuesday.

The reporters, representing 15 organizations from Hong Kong, one from Macao and two from Taiwan, are the second batch of reporters invited to Tibet after the March 14 Lhasa riots.

They arrived here on Monday for a three-day visit to Lhasa and Shannan.

An official with the Tibet Autonomous Region government said this trip will provide open news coverage without any restriction.

Yang Liu, a reporter with the Hong Kong-based Oriental Daily, met with his friends Monday evening after arrival. Yang had visited Tibet six times and he said normal life in Lhasa has resumed.

Tuesday morning, reporters visited the Lugu residents community. Drakpa Yonten, director of the residents committee, said: "People live a peaceful life here now and they can worship Buddhas in monasteries," noting the Jokhang Monastery has already been opened.

The Lugu area used to be a slum, housing one third of the beggars in Lhasa. Nowadays, 85 percent of the residents are Tibetans and most run their own businesses.

Their average income of 5,700 yuan (826 U.S. dollars) last year was 1.7 times the Tibet average.

All residents have medical insurance and all minors can receive nine free years of compulsory education.

After the devastating earthquake on May 12, residents donated 45,000 yuan for the quake-hit regions, said Drakpa Yonten.

During the three-day visit, reporters will have extensive contact with officials, monks and common people, and they will be able to interview shop owners whose shops were damaged during the riot.

They will also visit Tibet University, companies engaged in handicraft art, and the Potala Palace and Norbu-Linkag.

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Chinese "Obligated by Law" to Visit Parents

A draft law in Liaoning province makes it an obligation for adult children to contact or visit their parents regularly.

It is the first legislation of its kind in the country.

The province's standing committee of the people's congress recently released the draft - Regulation on Protection of Rights and Interests of the Aged - to seek public opinion.

It is expected to become law by the end of the year.

An article says if children do not live with their parents, they should "often send greetings or go home to visit them".

Government employees, who fail to do so, will face sanctions by their respective agencies.

Yao Yuan, professor and vice-dean of Renmin University of China's School of Sociology and Population Studies, described the draft as "social progress".

Yao said it is good in that it is China's first regulation to include a specific article requiring children to visit their parents.

"We used to emphasize the financial duty of children to support their aged parents," he said. "The regulation highlights the emotional needs too."

Yao said Chinese culture has always dictated the taking care of aged parents at home.

However, as the first "one-child generation" grows up and moves away from home many parents begin to suffer from loneliness and the so-called "empty-nest syndrome", he said.

Sui Ling, a 71-year-old woman in Shenyang, capital of Liaoning province, said her son works in another city, and is always so busy, so he can only return home to see her about once or twice a year.

"I miss my son very much but I don't want to interfere with his career," she said. "The new regulation is at least a reminder to him to come home more often."

Yao said about one-third of elderly Chinese do not live with their children. In Beijing, more than half of parents have "empty nests".

He suggested children should telephone their parents more often, write letters or send gifts.

"Elderly people really enjoy and rely much on ties with their children," Yao said.

A 65-year-old woman surnamed Shi said she hoped the regulation could have a clear definition of what "often" means and the consequences to children who do not contact or visit their parents.

Pei Pei, a graduate of the Communication University of China, said she feels "extremely guilty" of not being able to visit her parents often since she left Liaoning eight years ago.

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US Withdraws From Human Rights Council

6 June 08 - There was widespread consternation on Friday at the Palais des Nations in Geneva when the US mission gave up his observer status - a step backwards for human rights around the world, says Human Rights Watch.

Carole Vann/Juan Gasparini/Human Rights Tribune - The news that the US has completely withdrawn from the Human Rights Council spread like wildfire Friday afternoon (June 6) through the corridors of the Palais des Nations in Geneva. There was general consternation amongst diplomats and NGOS. Reached by phone, the American mission in Geneva neither confirmed nor denied the report. Although unofficial, the news comes at a time of long opposition by the Bush administration to the reforms which created the Human Rights Council in June 2006. Washington announced from the beginning that the US would not be an active member but its observer status would mean that it could intervene during the sessions. To date even this has rarely happened.

“We don’t understand the reasons nor the timing of the decision”, said Sebastien Gillioz of Human Rights Watch. “There have even been some positive signs during this Council. For example Belarus was not re-elected as a member in 2007 nor Sri Lanka this year”.

The stupefaction was made greater by the fact the US actively took part in the universal Periodic Review (UPR) process where 32 countries were scrutinized by their peers in April and May. In particular a series of recommendations were made regarding Romania, Japan, Guatemala, Peru, Tunisia, Ukraine, Indonesia and others.

Diplomats are equally concerned. If the current president of the Council, Doru Costea, declined to comment, his predecessor, Luis Alfonso De Alba said that he didnt see any reason to justify such a decision. Several observers mentioned Washington’s growing discontentment with the influence of the Islamic and African countries in the Council.

“It is an aberration”, said Peter Splinter of Amnesty International. “It seems that the government has lost its mind. How could it believe it is going to improve human rights by running away? It is like those who say, ‘I don’t like the way this town is governed so I’m not going to vote’”.

For Human Rights Watch (HRW), the US has shown very little commitment to human rights in general. The working group against arbitrary detention gave up going to Guantanamo last month because Washington would not allow its members to have face to face meetings with detainees. For its part, the Rapporteur against racism, Doudou Diene, has fought for years to be able to pay a visit and only recently got permission.

But Eric Sottas, director of the International Organisation against Torture sees it as a a political gesture. “The US has always clearly shown its opposition to the Council. This is a slightly more public way of putting pressure on it in order to raise the stakes. What is more the Bush dynasty is coming to the end of its mandate,” he said. “It reminds me of the time when the Nixon administration, which backed Pinochet in Chile, chastized the UN for criticising the Chilean dictator. But when Carter was elected in 1977, the American government took the floor at the Human Rights Commission to ask forgiveness. After a presidency like that of Bush, you can expect some important changes in US policy on human right.”

HRW is still worried about the withdrawal. “The message is worrying”, says Sebastien Gillioz. “ Ever since September 11, 2001, the US has constantly interpreted international standards in an “ a la carte” manner that has eroded human rights. Its behaviour has served as an example to a stream of states, including Pakistan, Egypt and other, who are not embarrassed to review human rights standards on homosexuality, abortion, capital punishment. It is a step backwards.”

Translated from the French by Claire Doole

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