Stories about Disaster from May, 2008
Hong Kong: Two Songs on Sichuan Earthquake
Florence posted two music videos written for Sichuan earthquake victims [zh].
China: Donation Pressure on Multinational Companies
ESWN translated a report from Southern Weekend about the public pressure on multinational companies regarding earthquake donations.
China: 4-years Old Earthquake Pictures
Fang Li from mindmeters posted three pictures drawn by 4-years old children who survived from the Sichuan earthquake.
China: Earthquake Propaganda
Lao Sun from my1510 criticized the post-earthquake propaganda in creating a savior image of the Chinese Communist Party [zh].
Myanmar: Inadequate aid
Penguin Blog uploads an article by American journalist Emma Larkin who has a first-hand account of the cyclone disaster in Myanmar. Larkin notes the small aid reaching the Burmese: ” It is like throwing sesame seeds into the mouth of an elephant.”
Bomb blast in southern Philippines
Aspiring citizen journalist All about the filth went immediately to the scene of a bomb blast outside a military base in southern Philippines
D.R. Congo: European film festival and rising food prices
Du Cabiau a Kinshasa writes about the Kinshasa European Film Festival [Fr] and has more reflections on the effects of rising food prices on the Congolese capital.
China: After the quake, hoping for aid
From inside and outside China, concerned citizens are helping, and putting their hands out to help the victims of the devastating 7.9 in the Richter scale earthquake that leveled out industrial cities, transforming them into refugee camps where people are living under plastic bags, trying to find out their relatives and remake their lives. Four different videos bring us perspectives on how people are dealing with their losses all around the world, and how reaching out to help others could help help ease the pain.
China: Chinese Red Cross on corruption watch
Bloggers continue to monitor earthquake corruption, as they wait for the truth to come out as to why so many school buildings collapsed so easily in this month's massive earthquake. The parents of children who died, though, aren't waiting. On Sunday a group from Mianzhu city took photos of their...
China: Sunglasses Gate and Others
ESWN translated an article from my1510.cn on some strange reactions from local government, media and angry youths towards the Sichuan earthquake.
China: Children Protection
Wang Xiaofeng criticized mainstream media practice in interviewing the children earthquake victims as such interviews may have negative impacts on children's psychology [zh].
China: Quake Lake
Michael from the Opposite End of China points out that the Sichuan earthquake has added a new lexicon “Quake lake” to the English speaking world.
China: No Corruption in Building Schools
The education ministry has denied corruption in the construction of school buildings in the Sichuan earthquake zone. The comments in Zhaomu's blog showed that no one believed in the official statement [zh].
China: Relief tents embezzled, while stoppers got arrested
Diaster-relief tents were found in up-scale community and college campus in Chengdu city rather than any refugee site where they should be. Activists took action to check out the fact, while at the night of 21st, a conflict strangely burst out between police and embezzlement stoppers.
China: An Earthquake Reporter's Self-Mockery
A Beijing reporter wrote a self-mockery confession on his trip to Wenchuan earthquake center [zh].
China: Earthquake Relief Posters
Red Cross (China) together with other media companies launched a campaign, Together we are, and called for submission of earthquake relief posters for expressing solidarity with the earthquake victims. A list of posters can be found here.
Fire at Myanmar embassy in Thailand
A fire broke out at Myanmar’s embassy in Thailand. Because of the fire, aid workers were not able to secure visas. Absolutely Bangkok comments: “What a coincidence that the fire ravaged that part of the embassy where those visas should have been issued?”
China: Foreign Rescue Teams
There are criticisms that the Chinese Government should have allowed foreign rescue teams to help the relief works earlier, black and white cat pointed out that foreign rescue teams might not be very useful in earthquake relief work.
China: Three Minutes Silence Reflected in Search Stats
Jacky Peng blogs the search traffic stats of Google China on May 19 which showed the three minutes silence (mourning for earthquake victims) effect.
Myanmar: Beyond Rangoon Project on Flickr
Latest pictures of relief operations in cyclone ravaged Myanmar can be accessed at Beyond Rangoon Project.
Myanmar: Open and close borders
The Siam Sentinel sums up the inconsistency of Myanmar's attitude in accepting aid: “Burma opens its borders. Burma closes its borders. Burma agrees to allow foreign aid workers to enter its borders. Burma closes those borders again.”
