Were seismologist's predictions covered up by authorities?

By Caylan Ford
Epoch Times Staff Reporter
May 14, 2008

As the death toll continues to climb in the wake of the 7.9 magnitude earthquake that rocked China's Sichuan province Monday, evidence has surfaced suggesting that Chinese officials were warned of the quake days earlier, yet suppressed the news.

China's deadliest quake in 30 years struck on the afternoon of May 12th in Wenchuan county, Sichuan province, and could be felt as far away as Vietnam and Beijing. While earthquake prediction is a developing science, China has some of the best earthquake research labs in the world. The benefits of that knowledge, however, may have been ignored if reports coming out of China are true.

As of Wednesday, the official death toll had nearly reached 15,000. Tens of thousands of troops, firefighters and civilians were working to save more than 25,000 people buried under collapsed schools, factories and hospitals.

Officials are warning of dangers from increased strain on local dams as well as mudslides on brittle hillsides where rain has been forecast over the next few days.

Authorities said the dams of two hydropower stations in Maoxian county, where 7,000 residents and tourists remain stranded near the epicenter, were "seriously damaged," and could burst.

Landslides had blocked the flow of two rivers in northern Qingchuan county, forming a huge lake in a region where 1,000 have already died and 700 are buried, China's state media reported.

The quake had also stopped a river in the stricken Mianzhu region, prompting officials to evacuate residents and drain dams downstream, the agency said.

Amidst the disaster is a growing chorus of bloggers and Chinese citizens saying authorities had ignored warnings of the quake days prior to it striking.

On May 7th, five days before the deadly quake struck, a self-proclaimed seismologist from Wuhan city posted a notice on the Internet predicting that an earthquake would strike on May 12th.

"According to information I have in hand, and exchanges that I have had with some foreign colleagues, I predict China will have an earthquake on May 12, 2008. The approximate location will be in the middle of Sichuan and Hubei, though all China may feel the tremors," read the notice.

The man went on to note that his predictions could not be announced publicly because it could cause "panic."

The Epoch Times is still trying to confirm the name and claims of this seismologist.


This notice appeared on the Sichuan government website two days before the catastrophic earthquake. It said the rumours of an upcoming earthquake were false and had been quelled. The notice was deleted after the quake hit Tuesday.

Even before the notice was posted though rumors were spreading in Sichuan province of a potential earthquake. Sichuan residents apparently made calls to the local Earthquake Preparedness and Disaster Reduction office of the Provincial Seismological Bureau to verify whether or not the rumors were true.

The bureau denied the possibility of a quake, and on May 9th, a notice was published on the local government Web site that dismissed the earthquake rumors. The notice read in part:

"On May 3, the Earthquake Preparedness and Disaster Reduction of the Seismological Bureau of Ahazhou received calls to inquire whether the rumors were true that Suomo Town, Maerkong County [Sichuan province] was going to have a major earthquake and that village officials advised villagers to stay outdoors.

"After receiving the calls, the Bureau immediately asked the Earthquake Preparedness and Disaster Reduction of the Seismological Bureau of Maerkong County to investigate the source of the rumor, to dispel it, to widely explain the actual situation, and to prevent the rumor from spreading further."

Three days later, after the earthquake struck, the notice was deleted. A screenshot of the notice can be seen on the Epoch Times Web site.

Some Chinese netizens have begun openly speculating that the regime deliberately concealed news of the earthquake in spite of evidence.

"Even when there were already signs indicating an earthquake, the Sichuan Seismological Bureau still suppressed and failed to report the information, completely disregarding people's lives," wrote one Internet user who claimed to have a relative working in the Provincial Seismological Bureau.

"My uncle called me some time ago and told me about the earthquake warning signs, but the Bureau didn't allow them to release the information and stressed the need to ensure stability before the Olympics."

But in China, where access to information is strictly controlled by the ruling Chinese Communist Party, it can be difficult for citizens to distinguish fact from the rumours the grow to fill the information vacuum.

In a recent article, The Times Online described the speculation of Chinese netizens that the earthquake warnings were suppressed as "quake conspiracies" cooked up by bloggers looking for a scapegoat.

The article also described Chinese media reports of bizarre animal migrations days prior to the quake. In China, unusual animal behaviour is a traditional form of earthquake prediction that is now coupled with western-style seismic research. To date, seismic science is not able to predict earthquakes with guaranteed accuracy.

Memories of Tangshan

The earthquake in Sichuan is the deadliest to strike China since July, 1976, when a massive earthquake levelled the city of Tangshan, killing anywhere from 242,419 to upwards of 655,000 people.

Then, too, scientists had seen warning signs of an impending earthquake. Among them was Yang Youchen, a seismologist who says he made predictions of the earthquake in early 1976. Yang said he had predicted that a large earthquake would strike Tangshan in July or August of that year.

In May, just months before the earthquake, he presented his data to a conference organized by the China Earthquake Association, which failed to take seriously his warnings. He said he also spoke with the Tangshan Communist Party Secretary about the potential for an earthquake, but the city's deputy mayor ruled that it was too early to put the city on alert. Soon thereafter, Yang was sent to a reeducation class to reform his thinking.

Another geologist, Ma Xirong, alerted the China Earthquake Association (CEA) just weeks before the quake of strange fluctuations he'd noticed in the earth's electrical resistance readers. He similarly warned that a catastrophic earthquake could be on the way, but CEA officials dismissed his findings.

In light of repeated warnings from geological monitoring centers, some officials did take note, risking their political careers to help prepare people for an earthquake.

Wang Chengmin, a CEA expert, circulated warnings of an imminent earthquake near Tangshan and spoke with a small group of officials from surrounding areas about his concerns. One of them, Wang Chunqing, brought news back to the nearby county of Qinglong, where citizens were warned of the coming disaster. These efforts, by some estimates, may have saved as many as 400,000 lives.

Following the earthquake in Tangshan, China's leaders refused to acknowledge the scale of the disaster or accept international relief efforts, determined to preserve an image of China as a communist utopia.

Files contributed by Reuters

On May 11st, 2008, Falun Dafa practitioners in Auckland and Hamilton got together to celebrate World Falun Dafa Day at Aotea Square in downtown Auckland, New Zealand. Practitioners demonstrated the exercises and presented singing and dancing performances to exhibit the wonderfulness of Falun Dafa to the public.


New Zealand practitioners wish revered Master a Happy Birthday


The New Zealand Divine Land Marching Band performed "Falun Dafa Is Good"


Guzheng (Chinese Zither) solo


Young practitioners' performance


Drum performance

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By Yang Xiaojing in Mainland China

I am the wife of Cao Dong, a Falun Gong practitioner from Beijing. On May 21st, 2006, Cao Dong met with Edward McMillan-Scott, Vice-President of the European Parliament, and told him about the brutal persecution of Falun Gong practitioners in China. Two hours after the meeting, Cao Dong was arrested by State Security agents. Before the Chinese New Year's Eve, Cao Dong was sentenced to five years in prison. His defence lawyer said that the only "evidence" used to sentence him was a false oral confession.

During the latter part of May 2007, Cao Dong was sent to the Tianshui Prison in Gansu Province. Since the EU-China Human Rights Dialogue was being held in Europe at that time, his lawyer told me that his original sentence was unchanged and the ruling was kept secret. Nobody told me where my husband had been sent. The court officials told Cao Dong's parents that they had been "criticized" and could not be told anything. Cao Dong's lawyer was under a lot of pressure so he suggested that the parents go to the local police department to enquire.

In January of this year, Cao Dong overcame many difficulties and was able to send out an appeal letter from within the prison. Actually, right after his meeting with Edward McMillan-Scott, he was arrested and detained in the Beijing Security Bureau Detention Centre. He was handcuffed to a chair for more than a month. The cruel torture caused a massive haemorrhage in his stomach. Since Mr. McMillan-Scott gave the lecture in Hong Kong about China's human rights, the officials from the State Security Bureau cursed my husband as a"traitor."

One month later, because my husband refused to "admit his guilt," the police went to his parents. They deceived his parents by telling them that Cao Dong had committed a big crime and his sentence would be reduced only if he cooperated. Not only did the police fail to tell them the truth about Cao Dong being arrested for meeting with overseas officials who were only concerned about China's human rights and the fact that he didn't do anything illegal, they also threatened his parents. His elderly parents begged Cao Dong with tears in their eyes, and asked him to cooperate with the police to provide them with a false confession. They also said that they would die in front of him if he refused to do so. The State Security Bureau officials recorded this scene and sent the video to Cao Dong to further threaten him. They told him that if he refused to cooperate, they would arrest all of his friends on his mailing list book that they seized. At the same time, they promised him that he would be released if he would cooperate. This was how the false confession was coerced. With the confession and Cao Dong's meeting with Mr. McMillan-Scott causing the critics of China's human rights to affect China's reputation, he was sentenced to five years in prison.

In May of 2007, Cao Dong was secretly sent to the Tianshui Prison in Gansu Province. This prison is the headquarters for persecuting Falun Gong in Gansu Province. All the practitioners in the province who refused to renounce Falun Gong were sent there for concentrated persecution. Liu Zhirong, a practitioner who intercepted TV signals to broadcast a Falun Gong video exposing the persecution, was tortured to death within a month of detention here. Those practitioners who refused to renounce Falun Gong were tortured in various ways: sleep deprivation, brainwashing, deprivation of their normal rights (such as taking breaks, purchasing daily necessities, family visits or writing to family members). Cao Dong was being pressured to "obey the law," which meant stating that he approved of his sentence, or in other words, to admit that telling people the truth is a crime. Cao Dong refused to accept his sentence and we are trying to file an appeal.

As his wife, I started to look for a defence lawyer for him in August, 2007...I consulted Lawyer Li Heping. He told me that this kind of case would bring a lot of pressure to whoever agreed to take it on, and it was better to hire two lawyers. At the end of September 2007, Lawyer Li Heping was beaten up by police for several hours. All the materials that I gave him were taken away. Practitioners Ms. Zhuang Yanhong and Ms. Xiang Guilan, who accompanied me during the visit to consulting lawyers, were arrested and sentenced to forced labour. My home was ransacked. Although the police didn't find any Falun Gong materials, they still took me away to a hotel. They interrogated me and asked me if I still practised Falun Gong, or if I participated in any "illegal activities." Liu Yugang, a section chief in the Dongcheng District Police Department, told me that they would detain Cao Dong in Gansu Province and me in Beijing. They would not allow the two of us to see each other. It was obvious that they have been covering up Cao Dong's case, and all the regular legal procedures were blocked.

Recently, during my trip to Gansu Province, the police still continued their surveillance of me. Our friend Xu Na was released from prison in 2006 after a five-year sentence. Last year, local police asked her to guarantee not to talk to any foreigners during the Olympic games. On January 26th, 2008, Xu Na and her husband, Yu Zhou were arrested. On February 6th, 2008, Yu Zhou was tortured to death at the age of 42. I heard that many practitioners in Beijing were arrested for only one reason - to guarantee that the foreign visitors would not run into anyone who would tell them the facts.

I hope that the international community will pay attention to the situation of Falun Gong practitioners detained in the Tianshui Prison. I also hope that other related organizations will come to this prison to investigate the human rights status of detained Falun Gong practitioners and the cause of Liu Zhirong's death.

Cao Dong's address:

P. O. Box #100, Education Department
Tianshui City, Gansu Province, 741000

Responsible police officer, Liu Jiantiao: 86-938-8278945

Chinese version available at http://minghui.org/mh/articles/2008/4/17/176649.html

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(Clearwisdom.net) Denver Falun Gong practitioners marked the anniversary of the April 25th appeal with a candlelight vigil near the Colorado State Capitol. The practitioners renewed calls for the Beijing regime to end a nine-year campaign of suppression that has recently escalated with the approach of the Olympics.

Many vehicles slowed down as they approached our banners, and many passing motorists honked their horns after reading the messages on the banners, "China Concentration Camp Mass Killing Falun Gong Practitioners, Harvesting Organs, Cremating Bodies" and "Stop the Persecution of Falun Gong in China."

A reporter from an Asian media came out to conduct interviews and take photos of the event.

The practitioners said they could feel the serenity that night, and that it reminded them of the silent, peaceful appeal of 10,000 Falun Gong practitioners back on April 25, 1999.

_

We welcome your comments and suggestions, please email:
feedback#clearwisdom.net

By Lina, the daughter of Falun Gong practitioner Liu Yanchen

(Clearwisdom.net) I am the daughter of Falun Gong practitioner Liu Yanchen from Jidong County, Heilongjiang Province. Unfortunately, I can no longer see my dear mother, since she was illegally arrested and repeatedly beaten by Communist Party officials because she practiced Falun Gong. After her detainment, she could not do the exercises for a long time, and eventually she died from a stroke.

When I was young, my mother was not healthy. She suffered from high blood pressure, heart disease, hives, and rheumatism. We spent all of our savings attempting to cure her diseases. We even sold our house, but we could not find a cure for her. In 1995, Mother started to practice Falun Gong, and all of her illnesses disappeared instantly. In July 1999, the government outlawed the practice of Falun Gong, and all practitioners, including my mom, felt very sad. In the winter of 1999, my mother went out to post truth-clarification materials, and she was illegally arrested and detained for 48 days. I was only six years old at that time, and it was really sad for me to live without my mother.

In the summer of 2000, my mother was reported on again and sent to a detention center. She was beaten by Li Qinghua, the leader of the Jidong County National Security Team, and her blood pressure rose to over 200. She went blind and was taken to the hospital for emergency treatment. My father tried to borrow money from many people to have her treated. Afterwards the police were afraid of being held responsible, so they had to send my mom home.

One evening in 2002, over ten policemen and the National Security Team took my Mom away and ransacked our home. They confiscated our Falun Gong books and some truth-clarification materials. At that time, I was only nine years old and there was no one to take care of me.

This time, Mom was beaten by the police again, and her blood pressure rose to over 300. She was sent to the hospital in shackles and handcuffs, and was also watched over by police officers. Later they sent her back to the detention center. There, she suffered from some other diseases. They asked my father to send her some medicine, but she did not get it. They wanted to send my mom to Harbin Forced Labor Camp, which is far away.

Because my mom's blood pressure continued to rise, they sent her home again. After that, our home was never quiet. The director of the Neighborhood Office and police officers came to harass us frequently. As a result my Mom's health became worse and worse.

In 2003, my mom's blood pressure was high for a long time. She was in the hospital three times because of cerebral hemorrhaging. On November 14, 2004, she was again taken away. I was 12 that year.

For several years, my father suffered tremendous mental pressure and had several breakdowns. His health was bad all the time. My mom was taken to a forced labor camp three times. Doctor's bills, cash deposits, and penalties totaled over 30,000 yuan. My family was heavily in debt, and my father was ill. My aunt had to adopt me, so that I could go to school in Jixi City. But my aunt could not afford the high tuition. In the summer of 2007, I came back to Jidong City to study. In order to get by, my father had to work outside, but what he earned could barely sustain us.

At that time I was in the third grade and we did not have a house. I felt lonely living by myself, but it could not compare to the sadness of losing my mom.
Chinese version available

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