Treyfish
Moderator
:tiphat:This story is on other sites. Dissident or not, from what I have been reading...
Another cover-up begins to unravel
By Cha Si Created: Dec 8, 2009 Last Updated: Dec 8, 2009
Dr. Zhong Nanshan, in his office at the Guangzhou Institute of Respiratory Diseases, on June 10, 2005, in Guangzhou, in southern China's Guangdong Province. In 2003, Zhong exposed a cover-up of the SARS epidemic, and in November, he expressed disbelief about the Chinese regime's reporting on deaths from H1N1. (GOH CHAI HIN/AFP/Getty Images)
The doctor who is a hero to many Chinese for exposing the Chinese regime’s cover-up of SARS has helped start another discussion about an official cover-up—this time for H1N1.
Since the H1N1 virus was found in Mexico in April this year, China’s health authorities first claimed a zero rate of infection and then a very low rate of infection. The reported number of infections slowly went up to a few thousand in the middle of November, although some Chinese netizens doubted the number’s validity. They reported local schools being closed due to H1N1 and hospitals packed with suspected patients.
The netizens’ doubts were inflamed when Guangzhou Daily published an interview on Nov. 19 with Dr. Zhong Nanshan. Zhong is the Director of the Institute of Respiratory Disease, the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical College, and a professor at the China Engineering Academy. Zhong’s honesty about SARS in 2003 in acknowledging there was an epidemic forced the Chinese regime to open the door to the World Health Organization to monitor the disease, leading to improved control.
In his interview with the Guangzhou Daily, Zhong pointed out that some local governments concealed the death cases of the H1N1 flu to show that they had done a good job in containing the virus. Zhong also said, “As for the number of H1N1 death cases reported in China, I don’t believe it at all!”
The interview was published with the title “I Don’t Believe It at All” and was soon widely republished on many Web sites, blogs, and public forums in China.:tiphat:
Zhong’s interview soon received an official response in the state-run press. The Oriental Morning Post, a Shanghai local newspaper, interviewed the spokesperson of the Ministry of Public Health, Mao Qun’an, over the phone. When being asked about Zhong’s statement of not believing in the official report of the death cases, Mao responded, “If he doesn’t believe it, let him not believe it. We are posting the H1N1 number every day, and I don’t know anything besides [what we have posted].”
Mao also said, “To tell you the truth, what he has said, I don’t believe either. So I can’t offer my opinion on this issue.”
The Oriental Morning Post’s article about Mao’s not believing in Zhong’s not believing was even more widely republished throughout Web sites in China.
The back and forth did not end there. The Guanming Observer, a newspaper run by the Guangming Daily, a major state-run newspaper, published an article on its Web site with the title “I Believe in Zhong Nanshan’s Not Believing.”
On the Internet
China’s netizens picked up the debate of whether “to believe or not to believe.”
Some posters commented on the risks Zhong had run to speak out. One wrote, “Zhong Nanshan is in big trouble now. He is against the ‘Harmony’ [Note: the Chinese regime has been promoting the idea of the ‘harmonious society’ for years]. He has what’s called loose lips.”
Another said, “Dr. Zhong is likely to be ‘retired’ soon.”
Other posts remarked on how Zhong’s accusation that the official accounts could not be believed was obvious.
One wrote, “I remember a book called ‘Look Who’s Lying.’ It’s quite fun to listen to the officials’ words and then compare them to the characteristics of lying as stated in the book.”
Another put the H1N1 scandal in context: “It’s not news any more. The wide spreading of Hepatitis B, tuberculosis, and foot-and-mouth disease were all concealed before. :tiphat:edit"And Clenbuteral in pig meat, plastic additives in baby milk,earthquake damage,ect" The public credibility of the government only exists in a capitalist society. We don’t have that problem because we are a people’s democratic dictatorship. The government belongs to the people! How ‘nice’ this argument is.”
The Public Health Minister, Mao Qun’an, came in for abuse. One poster commented, “Mao Qun’an is a villain!”
Another said, “[Mao] can’t face the reality. Mao Qun’an should not hold the position [of the spokesperson]!”
And one observed, “Why do I feel that the spokesperson’s talk is so foolish? It has no technical content at all.”
To which another poster replied, “If it’s not foolish, how can he be the spokesperson?”
One poster perhaps summed up the widespread disillusionment expressed on China’s Internet about the regime’s attempts to cover up the H1N1 epidemic: “Liang Wedao said, ‘The ruling party likes to treat the public as a child. When there is something bad, just fool them to get it over.’ :magnify:However, our party is taking the public as a dupe. … And their fooling us was so unprofessional.”
The Authorities Change Course
Perhaps because of the attention in the official press or because of the discussions raging on the Internet, the authorities changed course.
On Nov. 24, Beijing held an H1N1 Flu Medical Treatment Forum. During a press conference, Fang Laiying, the Director of Beijing City Health Bureau, stated that approximately 400,000 people in Beijing have been infected with the H1N1 flu.
One netizen asked the obvious question: “The number was [announced as] only a few thousands a few days ago. Why all of sudden did it become 400,000?”
While Fang appeared to have provided more realistic statistics than any of the authorities had provided before, he did so while sticking to the regime’s basic line. He said that he believes the likelihood of a large-scale outbreak of H1N1 flu in Beijing is very low.
On Dec. 6, the state-run Xinhua news service published a commentary meant to hammer home this point: “Constructing a Fortress to Fight Against Pandemic, Our Nation Persistently Controls the H1N1 Pandemic.”
In the opening paragraph, Xinhua quoted Usha Shankar, a commentator for China Daily, saying “As someone living here, I feel reassured that my children can go to school, to malls. …” Usha said her feeling of safety came from the proper handling of H1N1 flu by the Chinese government.
:magnify:But if you look carefully, the article by Usha quoted by Xinhua was published on Aug. 6, before the wide spread of the H1N1 flu in China.
Against the machinations of Xinhua and China’s public health officials stand the rectitude of Dr. Zhong Nanshan and the common sense of the people of China, who, if the Internet gauges public opinion, are now choosing to believe the evidence of their own eyes and “not to believe” the official account.
Anecdotal reports from inside China suggest the rate of infection and the death toll from H1N1 are far, far higher than anything the regime has suggested. As with SARS, keeping the public in ignorance of the true situation can only lead to more deaths. One hopes choosing “not to believe” the officials will help the people of China find some measure of protection. :tiphat:http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/content/view/26192/
Another cover-up begins to unravel
By Cha Si Created: Dec 8, 2009 Last Updated: Dec 8, 2009
Dr. Zhong Nanshan, in his office at the Guangzhou Institute of Respiratory Diseases, on June 10, 2005, in Guangzhou, in southern China's Guangdong Province. In 2003, Zhong exposed a cover-up of the SARS epidemic, and in November, he expressed disbelief about the Chinese regime's reporting on deaths from H1N1. (GOH CHAI HIN/AFP/Getty Images) The doctor who is a hero to many Chinese for exposing the Chinese regime’s cover-up of SARS has helped start another discussion about an official cover-up—this time for H1N1.
Since the H1N1 virus was found in Mexico in April this year, China’s health authorities first claimed a zero rate of infection and then a very low rate of infection. The reported number of infections slowly went up to a few thousand in the middle of November, although some Chinese netizens doubted the number’s validity. They reported local schools being closed due to H1N1 and hospitals packed with suspected patients.
The netizens’ doubts were inflamed when Guangzhou Daily published an interview on Nov. 19 with Dr. Zhong Nanshan. Zhong is the Director of the Institute of Respiratory Disease, the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical College, and a professor at the China Engineering Academy. Zhong’s honesty about SARS in 2003 in acknowledging there was an epidemic forced the Chinese regime to open the door to the World Health Organization to monitor the disease, leading to improved control.
In his interview with the Guangzhou Daily, Zhong pointed out that some local governments concealed the death cases of the H1N1 flu to show that they had done a good job in containing the virus. Zhong also said, “As for the number of H1N1 death cases reported in China, I don’t believe it at all!”
The interview was published with the title “I Don’t Believe It at All” and was soon widely republished on many Web sites, blogs, and public forums in China.:tiphat:
Zhong’s interview soon received an official response in the state-run press. The Oriental Morning Post, a Shanghai local newspaper, interviewed the spokesperson of the Ministry of Public Health, Mao Qun’an, over the phone. When being asked about Zhong’s statement of not believing in the official report of the death cases, Mao responded, “If he doesn’t believe it, let him not believe it. We are posting the H1N1 number every day, and I don’t know anything besides [what we have posted].”
Mao also said, “To tell you the truth, what he has said, I don’t believe either. So I can’t offer my opinion on this issue.”
The Oriental Morning Post’s article about Mao’s not believing in Zhong’s not believing was even more widely republished throughout Web sites in China.
The back and forth did not end there. The Guanming Observer, a newspaper run by the Guangming Daily, a major state-run newspaper, published an article on its Web site with the title “I Believe in Zhong Nanshan’s Not Believing.”
On the Internet
China’s netizens picked up the debate of whether “to believe or not to believe.”
Some posters commented on the risks Zhong had run to speak out. One wrote, “Zhong Nanshan is in big trouble now. He is against the ‘Harmony’ [Note: the Chinese regime has been promoting the idea of the ‘harmonious society’ for years]. He has what’s called loose lips.”
Another said, “Dr. Zhong is likely to be ‘retired’ soon.”
Other posts remarked on how Zhong’s accusation that the official accounts could not be believed was obvious.
One wrote, “I remember a book called ‘Look Who’s Lying.’ It’s quite fun to listen to the officials’ words and then compare them to the characteristics of lying as stated in the book.”
Another put the H1N1 scandal in context: “It’s not news any more. The wide spreading of Hepatitis B, tuberculosis, and foot-and-mouth disease were all concealed before. :tiphat:edit"And Clenbuteral in pig meat, plastic additives in baby milk,earthquake damage,ect" The public credibility of the government only exists in a capitalist society. We don’t have that problem because we are a people’s democratic dictatorship. The government belongs to the people! How ‘nice’ this argument is.”
The Public Health Minister, Mao Qun’an, came in for abuse. One poster commented, “Mao Qun’an is a villain!”
Another said, “[Mao] can’t face the reality. Mao Qun’an should not hold the position [of the spokesperson]!”
And one observed, “Why do I feel that the spokesperson’s talk is so foolish? It has no technical content at all.”
To which another poster replied, “If it’s not foolish, how can he be the spokesperson?”
One poster perhaps summed up the widespread disillusionment expressed on China’s Internet about the regime’s attempts to cover up the H1N1 epidemic: “Liang Wedao said, ‘The ruling party likes to treat the public as a child. When there is something bad, just fool them to get it over.’ :magnify:However, our party is taking the public as a dupe. … And their fooling us was so unprofessional.”
The Authorities Change Course
Perhaps because of the attention in the official press or because of the discussions raging on the Internet, the authorities changed course.
On Nov. 24, Beijing held an H1N1 Flu Medical Treatment Forum. During a press conference, Fang Laiying, the Director of Beijing City Health Bureau, stated that approximately 400,000 people in Beijing have been infected with the H1N1 flu.
One netizen asked the obvious question: “The number was [announced as] only a few thousands a few days ago. Why all of sudden did it become 400,000?”
While Fang appeared to have provided more realistic statistics than any of the authorities had provided before, he did so while sticking to the regime’s basic line. He said that he believes the likelihood of a large-scale outbreak of H1N1 flu in Beijing is very low.
On Dec. 6, the state-run Xinhua news service published a commentary meant to hammer home this point: “Constructing a Fortress to Fight Against Pandemic, Our Nation Persistently Controls the H1N1 Pandemic.”
In the opening paragraph, Xinhua quoted Usha Shankar, a commentator for China Daily, saying “As someone living here, I feel reassured that my children can go to school, to malls. …” Usha said her feeling of safety came from the proper handling of H1N1 flu by the Chinese government.
:magnify:But if you look carefully, the article by Usha quoted by Xinhua was published on Aug. 6, before the wide spread of the H1N1 flu in China.
Against the machinations of Xinhua and China’s public health officials stand the rectitude of Dr. Zhong Nanshan and the common sense of the people of China, who, if the Internet gauges public opinion, are now choosing to believe the evidence of their own eyes and “not to believe” the official account.
Anecdotal reports from inside China suggest the rate of infection and the death toll from H1N1 are far, far higher than anything the regime has suggested. As with SARS, keeping the public in ignorance of the true situation can only lead to more deaths. One hopes choosing “not to believe” the officials will help the people of China find some measure of protection. :tiphat:http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/content/view/26192/