14:28 2008 05 12

This time and this date are worth to remember in the heart of every Chinese people. The earthquake at Sichuan, 8th class in the Richter Scale (黎克特制八級), has created many casualties, deaths, broken families and homeless people. The pain to people living in Sichuan is immense and it will take a long time for the people to heal. News after news of successful rescues of living people make the rescue teams, onlookers, the people before their TV sets, especially the Chinese, in different parts of the world, cheered with joy.

I particularly admire those Liberation Armies and Rescue teams from different departments who save people buried out of the rubble of fallen houses and buildings.

They did not care about their own lives, but rushed in swiftly to the scenes of earthquake by parachuting, walking up and down hills (because some of the roads were blocked up by huge rocks) across rivers and some even travelled by boats to remote places to look for any sign of survivors.

The medical teams at the scenes as well those at hospitals in big cities pay important roles in the rescue sector. They give medical care to those injured in the earthquake.

I also respect those reporters in China and in Hong Kong. They went deep into the affected areas in the earthquake and forgot that they were in great danger from fallen rocks, from landslides, from flooding and the collapses of houses under subsequent after-shocks. They too had to walk a long way, eat little and sleep in the open.

Let us salute to all those brave, kind-hearted and life-saving people, medical-care team members and those professional reporters who bring us news about the earthquake.