The Chinese Ruling Party Covers Up the Truth About SARS; Health Minister and Beijing Mayor Become Scapegoats

According to an AFP (Agence France Presse) April 20th report from Beijing, the Party bowed before the world and admitted there are several hundred more SARS cases in Beijing than it had previously announced. At the same time, the government cancelled the weeklong May 1 holiday in order to prevent the virus from spreading. Health Minister Zhang Wenkang and Beijing Mayor Meng Xuenong were removed from their Party posts.

As of now, the Party admits that there are 346 SARS patients in Beijing alone, including five foreigners; there are another 402 suspected cases, and 18 patients have died so far. The government had previously claimed there existed only 44 cases in Beijing and just four people had died. Up until April 18, the national death toll due to SARS has risen to 79 and confirmed cases reached 1,807. Today, seven more cases were discovered in Beijing and the total number of cases reported in Beijing is now 346, while the national total is 1,814.

Then, is what the Party telling the world the truth?

On April 18, a civil report in China entitled "A Letter from a Friend" claimed, "Beijing is being treated as a Level I Infected Area!" "This week, next week, until the May 1 International Labor Day is the first peak breakout period in Beijing. Please keep this information to yourself and do not spread it. Some news came from the channels of the national security systems, health systems and central government units. This is not allowed to be circulated. Friends, please take care to protect yourselves."

This civil report states, "Right now, more than 1,000 people have been quarantined in Beijing. The situation is very serious. Some hospitals have been completely shut off to conduct internal observations. Many people carrying the virus are still entering Beijing. Right now, all city-level hospitals in Beijing have almost reached full capacity. District hospitals have set up quarantine wards. Patients are from various segments of society, and the incubation period of the virus is thought to be between two to sixteen days. The symptoms are coughing, fever, chest pain, difficulty breathing.

"Next week, Beijing will enter the period of elevation and the peak breakout. Some SARS patients from Inner Mongolia are trying to enter Beijing for medical treatment because they heard it is free in Beijing. This has caused great uneasiness for the national security units. Next week until the May 1 holiday, guesses are that thousands of people will be quarantined. Right now, district hospitals have established 'dare-to-die' teams and used on-the-spot quarantine measures.

"The ratio of the SARS breakout is 1:10. Its speed in spreading has stunned the national health units and related national government agencies. Right now, the virus is continuing to spread in many provinces. Because the virus has entered different social groups of Beijing, the number of cases in Beijing is increasing drastically. The incubation period of this disease is fixed. Therefore, please avoid contact with others as much as possible. From the study of infectious disease, next week is the SARS elevated period; estimates are that the peak will take place in Beijing within two to three months. Moreover, a large population in China moves around, and the number of cases has been on a constant rise in many provinces. It was predicted that Beijing would face several peak breakout periods."

Apple Daily published a social commentary on April 21, 2003, saying that, "It is for sure that paper can't wrap up fire." Similarly, it won't do to conceal the true numbers of SARS cases simply by 'moving ghosts around'!"

Recently, many foreign media have attacked the Party for covering up the SARS situation and they stated that the Chinese officials' lies "will cost the world many lives and heavy economic loss."

Ever since Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) began spreading in China in late 2002, the Chinese ruling Party has covered up the facts and solemnly claimed that the situation was effectively under control. Under great pressure from the international community, the Party chose two scapegoats - the Health Minister and the Mayor of Beijing who faithfully carried out the Party's policy of secrecy.

During the past four years, the formal Chinese leader Jiang created and promoted national terrorism; he ordered Falun Gong practitioners to be "killed without pardon." Many Falun Gong practitioners were injured and beaten to death; their families were broken up and they were forced to leave home; hundreds of millions of Falun Gong practitioners' families, relatives, friends and colleagues were implicated and brainwashed. The Party is trying to cover it up by claiming it didn't happen. The anti-humanitarian nature of this persecution and the great moral and economic loss it has caused will be gradually exposed in the world. We believe "paper will never be able to wrap up fire"; it won't be long before the truth is revealed before the world.

Chinese version available at http://www.yuanming.net/articles/200304/19556.html