The Human-Caused Aspects of China's Earthquake Disaster

"Mommy, I'm here! Mommy, I'm here!" In the immediate aftermath of the May 12 earthquake that leveled thousands of classrooms in and around China's Sichuan Province, such calls could be heard when mothers cried out for their children, buried in the rubble of the schoolyard. Several heartbreaking replies were heard from under the ruins. Thinking about these children's desperate last cries for help, we parents were filled with extreme sorrow, our children lost in the ruins. These poor kids, where are they now?

I. Were they really unable to predict the earthquake, or did authorities conspire to hide the truth?

There is much evidence indicating that this major earthquake was accurately predicted by multiple specialists, and that the evidence was reported to high level Chinese Communist Party government officials. For example:

1. Geng Qinguo, a Chinese earthquake scientist, predicted that the area of Aba would have an earthquake with a magnitude greater than 7 on the Richter Scale. He clearly indicated that "The highest likelihood of a dangerous earthquake above 7 on the Richter Scale would be within a period of 10 days before and after May 8." He reported this to high level officials multiple times.

2. On April 26 and April 27, the Committee for Natural Disaster Prediction, which is affiliated with the Chinese Planetary Science Society, made a similar prediction and submitted a written report to the Chinese Earthquake Department on April 30.

3. On May 9, scientists from Britain and other locations warned Chinese Communist Party (CCP) officials about a possible big earthquake.

II. Why are government office buildings more sturdy than schools?

Before the CCP took over China, there was a military dictator in Sichuan who received the following order: "If the office buildings of the county are better than those of the schools, the county head will be shot to death immediately." During the two earthquakes that happened in Kobe, Japan in 1995, and in Niigata County, Japan in 2007, no school buildings collapsed, and thus the schools were able to serve as temporary shelters after earthquakes. However, during the May 12 earthquake, the school buildings collapsed and children were killed. They were buried under shoddily constructed school buildings, made with cement reinforced with chicken wire instead of steel reinforcing bars (re-bar). Yet beautiful shining government office buildings around the schools remained standing. This was even more devastating to the many parents who had lost their only child.

III. Were the roads really blocked, or did authorities purposely delay rescue efforts?

The authorities kept emphasizing that roads were blocked due to rain, thus the rescuing army personnel could only move slowly. They rejected a lot of support from other countries. They missed the most important 72-hour window critical for the success of rescue efforts. Yet some victims managed to escape from the earthquake-wracked area themselves within 10 hours, including women and tourists.

IV. Why distract public attention and slander Falun Gong?

After the earthquake, the CCP knew that they would come under scrutiny for their role in exacerbating the disaster. They hadn't reacted to earthquake warnings, and they moved too slowly to get rescue workers into the area of devastation. To avoid intense public criticism, Zhou Yongkang (the director of the Political and Judiciary Committee in China) used a typical strategy he'd used many times before. Namely, he distracts public attention away from the government's failings, incites hatred for an innocent scapegoat (Falun Gong, in this case), and lays the blame on the scapegoat, again in this case, Falun Gong.

Thus, scenes similar to the frightening events of the "Cultural Revolution" unfolded even as far away as Flushing, New York, USA. Chinese consular officials even admitted to stirring up hatred in the crowds of Flushing's Chinatown. For several days, their thugs incited emotional crowds to surround and attack Falun Gong practitioners. They were able to stir the crowds to action by lying, telling them that, "Falun Gong practitioners interfered with attempts to accept donations for earthquake victims."

1. In the events broadcast on CCTV (the official TV station run by the CCP), the so-called "donation" event near the Service Centre for Quitting the CCP in Flushing, New York had no banners for earthquake donations nor donation boxes. There was no such event, in fact. Those people who allegedly were making donations on site looked extremely excited and happy, unusual in such a setting. There was no scene indicating that Falun Gong practitioners blocked people from donating or grabbing a donation box.

2. The activities of Falun Gong practitioners had nothing to do with the earthquake: The event on May 17 was to support the 30 million Chinese who had quit the CCP, and the permit had been obtained from the police department before the earthquake occurred. Therefore, it had nothing to do with the earthquake. Also before the event started, the rally attendees paid silent tribute to the earthquake victims for 2 minutes. However, they were falsely charged as "interfering with earthquake donations."

3. "Heaven Eliminates the CCP" is not "Heaven Eliminates China": The banner that appeared during the event included the words "Heaven Eliminates the CCP" and "Heaven Blesses China", however, the CCTV distorted them into "Heaven Eliminates China".

4. Multiple troublemakers were arrested: The Service Centre for Quitting the CCP has existed in Flushing for the last 4 years. It did not just appear after the earthquake. For several days after May 17, the troublemakers who prepared ahead of time violently beat and verbally abused Falun Gong practitioners at the Service Center. Most of the troublemakers were arrested by officers of the New York Police. However, the CCP media lied, saying that "Falun Gong practitioners were arrested."

Afterwards, Peng Keyu, the Consul General of the Chinese Consulate in New York, admitted during an interview that he himself planned these activities that attacked Falun Gong practitioners. The recorded conversation of Peng Keyu was published on the website of the "World Organization to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong" and exposed to the whole world.

V. Who is responsible for the "human disaster" of May 12, 2008?

While disaster struck China on May 12, the Chinese regime did not go all out to rescue the earthquake victims, but utilized its overseas consulate to plan and mobilize attacks against Falun Gong in Flushing, New York, instigating hatred and distracting attention from the CCP's own failings in the earthquake. They want to evade responsibility for the poor quality of a large number of collapsed school buildings, and escape accusations from the dead children's parents. The public wants to know the truth, however, and to bring those responsible to justice.