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Reading between the lines
I have just read a very interesting article about an attempt to parachute soldiers into Mao County, one of the areas stricken by the Sichuan earthquake. Ever since it became clear that the roads to the epicentre were blocked, the government and military have been suggesting that they will parachute troops into the inaccessible areas. Unfortunately, it seems that the attempt described in this article was a failure. According to the article, a total of 15 paratroops jumped from the aircraft, but reported back to command that the ground conditions are complex and are not suitable for the parachuting operation. The original plan was to airdrop 100 paratroopers into the area, but after receiving the initial report from the 15 paratroopers, command cancelled the operation. The article also mentions that the weather conditions changed and that the remaining 85 paratroopers had a different style of parachute from the first 15 paratroopers, which was not suitable to the weather conditions.
The article goes on to say that the 15 paratroopers have successfully made contact with the officials of Mao County. According to the article, the 15 parachuting heroes are in excellent physical and mental condition and are actively fighting on the frontline of disaster relief. The article then summons us to remember the names of these heroes and goes on to name the 15 paratroopers.
The last paragraph makes me worried. Firstly, Chinese soldiers are usually referred to as heroes after they die. Secondly, it seems unusual to name the soldiers when they are carrying out an operation. If the 15 paratroopers were able to land successfully despite the complex terrain, why couldn’t the remaining 85 paratroopers? My personal feeling is that the first 15 paratroopers were either seriously injured or killed, and this caused the operation to be aborted. The Chinese media cannot openly say that an operation was a failure, but the mentioning of the paratroopers’ names is probably a form of condolence to their relatives, who already know that they are dead. Of course, this is all speculation – according to the article, the paratroopers are fine, but the information between the lines does not bode well for them.
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Posted: 11:43 AM, 15/5/2008 in Blogging and the mediaShare on Facebook |
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Don't be silly
南方日报5月15日报道/“网上流传的空降汶川伞兵死亡4人、失踪10人纯属谣言！”昨天下午，
救援部队有关负责人对此谣言断然否定。
该负责人向记者表示,由于灾区天气极度恶劣，
高空到地面基本都被厚厚的“接地云”覆盖,能见度基本为零，
在这样的天气情况下，空降伞兵根本不可能实现。
据记者采访了解，原计划100名伞兵在前天实施空降，但由于灾区当地气候情况恶劣,气候条件不允许，因此不得不延期进行。直到昨天下午，灾区雨量减少，能见度有所好转，
广空部队运输机运载100名伞兵再度升空，最终成功向四川茂县空降了首批15名伞兵。根据记者了解到的最新情况，
目前指挥部已与这15名空降伞兵取得联系。指挥部还将及时跟踪天气状况,随时派出伞兵空投到最偏远、交通状况最差、环境恶劣的地区开展救援工作。
Edited by zhangbohan on 17/5/2008 at 12:11 PM |
Posted by Anonymous at 7:08 PM, 15/5/2008 |
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Untitled Comment
That is an interesting analysis u have. My dad is working in china right now and from the live broadcast, 4 paratroopers apparantly died.
Their parachutes are static line, meaning it opens immediately at 1000ft, are used at 4,000 feet instead due to the mountainous region for the safety of the plane. however, no offence to the chinese but some of their news lack credibility as many other news sources around the world even in my country, so i am not sure how valid what i have said is.
Pls update me if you have other sources of information, any disaster is sad, wish i could make a difference
Edited by zhangbohan on 17/5/2008 at 12:10 PM |
Posted by kq-87@hotmail.com at 6:43 PM, 16/5/2008 |
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Nanfang Daily report
According to the first comment that was written in Chinese, the Chinese newspaper Nanfang Daily reported that four paratroopers were killed, but this was dismissed as pure lies by a government spokesperson.
Edited by zhangbohan on 17/5/2008 at 12:12 PM |
Posted by zhangbohan at 10:09 AM, 17/5/2008 |
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