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Press told to ‘keep quiet’ after Typhoon turn military academy into graveyard.
posted Tuesday, 4 October 2005
Typhoon 龍王 ‘The Dragon King’, named after the creature that Chinese myths hold controls the rain, slammed into south-east China late last week, destroying nearly 5600 homes, flooding 125 square kilometers of agricultural land, and as has recently been reported, washing away 59 young cadets as they studied and slept.
According to reports the cadets were swept away when a landslide swept through their training center in south China's 福建省 (Fujian Province) late on Monday night, engulfing two buildings in which the cadets were barracked.
As yet, there have been no reports of any survivors and little optimism as to whether any will be found alive.
Differing Views
Though a tragic event, the cadet incident has been marked by distinctions in reporting, with the Chinese media naming the missing as being police cadets who were attending a police academy and, and te buildings as being civilian building, but with a number of international sources naming the missing as soldier who were attending the Fuzhou Command School of Armed Police which, alongside the PLA, is a formal component of China’s armed forces and is not a civilian law enforcement organization in the same way as US and European police forces are. Reports also described the flooded buildings as being part part of the command school's facilities, making them military buildings, most likely troop barracks.
Tight Lips
Despite assurances that China would be more open, made by Beijing in the wake of its shambolic attempt to cover up the first SARS outbreak, it has been confirmed that Chinese media outlets have been issued with strict instructions not to discuss the loss of the cadets to the flood, and to only publish articles relating to the incident that have been provided by Xinhua, China’s state controlled media agency.
Levels of secrecy also come in contradiction to the September announcement that details of natural disasters in China would no longer be considered to be state secrets.
Administration officials at the academy, which bears responsibility for the safety and wellbeing of its cadets, have also confirmed that they are not permitted to disclose the facts of the incident.
According to reports the cadets were swept away when a landslide swept through their training center in south China's 福建省 (Fujian Province) late on Monday night, engulfing two buildings in which the cadets were barracked.
As yet, there have been no reports of any survivors and little optimism as to whether any will be found alive.
Differing Views
Though a tragic event, the cadet incident has been marked by distinctions in reporting, with the Chinese media naming the missing as being police cadets who were attending a police academy and, and te buildings as being civilian building, but with a number of international sources naming the missing as soldier who were attending the Fuzhou Command School of Armed Police which, alongside the PLA, is a formal component of China’s armed forces and is not a civilian law enforcement organization in the same way as US and European police forces are. Reports also described the flooded buildings as being part part of the command school's facilities, making them military buildings, most likely troop barracks.
Tight Lips
Despite assurances that China would be more open, made by Beijing in the wake of its shambolic attempt to cover up the first SARS outbreak, it has been confirmed that Chinese media outlets have been issued with strict instructions not to discuss the loss of the cadets to the flood, and to only publish articles relating to the incident that have been provided by Xinhua, China’s state controlled media agency.
Levels of secrecy also come in contradiction to the September announcement that details of natural disasters in China would no longer be considered to be state secrets.
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"Previous stipulations that classify related information as confidential are abolished accordingly" Shen Yongshe, Spokesperson (speaking on the declassification of information relating to natural disasters), National Administration for the Protection of State Secrets, China. |
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Administration officials at the academy, which bears responsibility for the safety and wellbeing of its cadets, have also confirmed that they are not permitted to disclose the facts of the incident.
| "We haven't received any instructions to release information on our relief work" Administrative spokesperson, Academy of Armed Police. |
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