Sabbath 4/4/31/120

It has been revealed by scientists that five eminent seismologists warned China of the impending quake in China on 12 May 2008, and one even gave the approximate date the quake would occur.

The Chinese simply ignored the warning. An article exposing the scandal was issued by one of the scientists and an article was written for English promulgation by Michael Sheridan, from Mianzhu, China, published in Australia 2 June 2008 from The Sunday Times article.

One eminent seismologist forecast almost the exact date of the tremor that killed more than 68,000 people.

Michael Sheridan said that: “the Government appeared to be trying to suppress evidence of the warnings last week and none of the seismologists could be traced for an interview. News of the warnings, first disclosed on a Chinese scientist's blog, has created a storm of criticism on the internet and deepened the rage of bereaved parents in ruined towns such as Mianzhu, where schools collapsed on their pupils.

Sichuan journalists even dared to question the head of the State Earthquake Bureau. They demanded to know if it was true that the forecasts were dismissed because officials did not want anything to disturb preparations for the Olympic torch relay to pass through this month.

The journalists got no answer and there has since been little mention of the warnings in the official media; but there is no doubt that the documents cited are authentic.”

The first warnings were not all that recent either according to Mr. Sheridan. Four seismologists published the first warning in September 2006 in China's Journal of Catastrophology.

The four seismologists were Long Xiaoxia, Yan Junping, Sun Hu and Wang Zuzheng. They had calculated that stress factors along the Sichuan-Tibet tectonic fault indicated that a quake measuring above 6.7 on the Richter scale would strike in 2008. Michael Sheridan reports that “They suggested the Government should set up emergency headquarters and organise local disaster teams to train city dwellers and farmers how to protect themselves.”

There is no evidence that anything was done.

The seismologists were not available to explain why. Mr. Sheridan reported that an official at the university said "You're a journalist?" in the telephone conversation. "They are not supposed to accept any interviews, so just give up the idea."

The fifth expert to issue a warning was Geng Qingguo, a renowned seismologist. He had come out of retirement to present his dire predictions to a meeting of specialists on 26 and 27 April. Geng outlined his calculations that an earthquake of more than 7 on the Richter scale would occur along the boundaries of Sichuan, Gansu and Qinghai provinces. This warning reinforced the previous warning by the other four experts. He was so accurate that he even predicted that the most likely date would be within 10 days of 8 May 2008.

According to the reports, the scientist dispatched a copy of his findings to the State Earthquake Bureau in Beijing on 30 April 2008. Once again, nothing seems to have been done. The quake struck with a Richter scale force of 7.9 on 12 May 2008 within four days as predicted by Geng.

The only reason this was known is because one of Mr. Geng's colleagues, Li Shihui of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, disclosed the whole story in his blog after the earthquake. Mr. Sheridan reported that: "His opinion was not accepted by the State Earthquake Bureau," Dr Li wrote, "and when he heard of the Sichuan earthquake he tried to cry, yet no tears would come, so heavy was his heart." Geng is now suffering from trauma and stress.

We all know what happened. The quake struck and the school buildings collapsed, and parents who lost their children in the multiple thousands alleged they had been improperly built through corruption, with substandard materials and lack of sufficient concrete and reinforcing. A massive investigation is being sought by angry parents and relatives.

Neither Dr Li nor Mr. Geng is available for comment. Public anger is intensifying. Access to the blog has now been blocked by web censors.

Mr. Sheridan reports: "Yes, Dr Li used to be a researcher in our laboratory," confirmed a woman official at the academy. ‘After the earthquake he published some articles that caused a big argument. But I have to say sorry to you because he has retired and we do not have his phone number. That is all I can tell you.’

Dr Li's rapid retirement appears to have come after the publication of an article detailing his blog and both sets of warnings by a veteran journalist, Ching Cheong, the chief China correspondent for The Straits Times of Singapore.”

The prompt circulation of Ching's story on the internet, translated into Chinese, set off a firestorm of abuse from outraged citizens.

The truth struck home in places such as Mianzhu, where the Communist Party secretary, Jiang Guohua, reportedly fell on his knees before anguished parents to implore them to abandon a protest march in the last week of May 2008. It was the children of Mianzhu that were among some 9000 children who died when the sub-standard schools collapsed. Mianzhu has thousands of people living in tents among the ruins of its buildings.

Without doubt, the feelings of these parents will become the focal point of outrage against these corrupt and negligent officials. Once the people get over their grief one can scarce doubt a more serious attitude will set in.

Michael Sheridan reported the reports in the Nanfang Weekend newspaper with Mr. Jiang, the local party secretary. He explained the risks in his interview with the Nanfang Weekend newspaper. He reportedly said: "At first I relied on my rank as party secretary to request those parents not to go to the streets with their protests," he said. "But they turned a deaf ear to me and even the police couldn't stop them. "So I got on my knees, not because I was ashamed but because I was thinking of the hundreds of thousands of people in this city who are homeless, short of clothes and food, so that any protest like this could cause mass unrest. That's been my biggest worry since the earthquake."

No doubt it will cause mass unrest. The parents are now discussing a march to Chengdu, the provincial capital. Sheridan reports that they have been banned from travelling on buses by the party secretary.

One of the protesters, Li Yan, said of the Party official: "He's always lied to us and tried to cover up the real situation."

The crazy part about the situation is that part of the political decision making not to act was because it might affect the Olympic torch relay and the preparation for the Games.

It demonstrates the bureaucratic incompetence of Party Machines in the monolithic state structures. Corruption is everywhere. The US reaction to Katrina was as bad. Corruption is creeping nationwide in every nation. Even Australia that once had a civil service that was the envy of the developing world is rotten with corruption. The US is full of it. The 2008 elections are going to represent a reaction to that system and Australia and Britain had better take note as well.

Italy is worse again and Naples is a stinking mess of garbage because they can’t even control their local mafia and agree on some new rubbish dumps. Africa is on the same level and Asia is worse.

The collapse of our system into complete chaos is simply one or two years way and WWIII is already upon us.

Wade Cox

Coordinator General