Where is the China Earthquake Donation Money Going?

TeachAbroadChina.com ^ | 5/29/2008 | Robert Vance

[robertvance]

“I don’t think that the donations are getting to the earthquake victims,” a friend of mine somberly told me recently. “A few of my friends came back from Mianyang recently,” he explained, “and they told me that the earthquake survivors were not being given enough food and water.” It was feared, he said, that the much of the money was being pocketed by local officials or being used to fund activities that were unrelated to the tragedy in Sichuan.

[robertvance]

I certainly didn't put my money directly into the Chinese government's bank account. Most people should know better.

[RC2]

Sorta sounds like New Orleans......huh?

[dbacks]

I dunno, but Hillary’s campaign debt is suddenly dropping!

[ChocChipCookie]

The one organization I trust to use funds wisely is Samaritan’s Purse.

[marinamuffy]

I dontated to the group Hugh Hewitt is talking about: http://www.caringforchina.org

It seems like they already had people in place on the groud to receive the funds directly but you never know how they may filter things......

[indcons]

Good post

Ping

I have been reading news stories that the official counts of dead (especially in the tragic school colapses) are being under reported by the local CCP officials. However, I have also read a news report that Jiang Guohua, CCP boss of Mianzhu, was forced to kneel in public and apologize for the CCP’s corruption. Are incidents such as the latter happening throughout China or are these exceptions?

What’s really happening on the ground? Will accountability come out of this tragedy? Are people on the ground willing to confront corrupt CCP officials?

Any responses will be appreciated - I am seeing some interesting public responses and wonder if these are here to stay or are merely fleeting? Thanks.

[republicanequestrian]

This is why I never donate money. If I want to donate to a good cause, I volunteer. However, my husband and I had Panda Express, and a dollar from his meal was supposed to go to the earthquake victims, and it makes me wonder if that money makes it to the right place.

[12Gauge687]

You’re right. It’s mentioned in slightly greater detail in some of the Chinese language periodicals available at Asian markets in the USA and Canada.

On a similar issue, an apologist for the CCP responded to my forecast that rough times are ahead for the one-party state there. (S)he claimed China was unique and would not follow that route. Yet, when one looks at Taiwan and its very democratic legislature, filled with ethnic Chinese, one wonders.

As with Taiwan, which threw off the shackles of the Kuomingtang, it is possible the Chinese middle-class will demand greater accountability from their government and change from the party. In some respects, China is more capitalistic than the USA. Yet it seems to be a system with few moral scruples.

Hospitals regularly turn away patients that US hospital would be required to accept. One relative had to bring cash to get into an emergency room. An American (who else?) of Chinese descent has come to the aid of villagers in China by funding the construction and operation of several medical clinics in rural areas.

[TigersEye]

During the post-Katrina period audits of the various charitable organizations taking money to help showed that the Salvation Army got more of the money it took in to the people who needed it. It had a much higher percentage than the next best org. I don’t know if they are helping in China but I will always keep that in mind when charitable orgs are collecting money for something.

[adcycn]

All the "Evil" news you posted we can see them here in China,too.In many forums visited by millions of people they discussed them and made arguments.Some are proved to be true and some are proved to be rumor and lie.If you'd like to hear,there are more more more such evil things happened for thousands years.It's a pity you didn't there and report them.
I am curious that do you have any "good" news about China?I think the answer is "none".

Oh,what a evil country and goverment full of devil and demon~~how about sending a team of Jedi and raze The Empire!Welcome to hell,you holy angels.

[Paul R.]

Hi, adcycn,

You should know by now that most “FReepers” are not against the Chinese people. We DO tend to be negative about most governments though, sometimes INCLUDING OUR OWN. (History gives us good reason for it.)

In re-reading indcons post, I see mostly questions, concern, and expressed hope for positive change (granted, in indcons’ opinion) in China. Why don’t you answer the questions?

For example, if there are forums in China discussing these issues, provided english translation is available or possible, many here would be fascinated to read them.

I have Chinese friends in China who tell me NOT to read the official news sources — they tell me to read news out of Taiwan or Hong Kong. Are they correct?

I recently read on TIME / CNN that most of the online discussion in China about the poor construction quality of the schools has been deleted, and the subject now banned. Is this true? If not, again, point us to the ongoing forums in China to prove otherwise. Most FReepers (not all) are curious people and interested in facts and information. I, for one, always welcome good information, even if it sometimes makes me change my opinion of something or someone.

P.S. If we can catch CNN in a major lie, with solid proof to back it up, we will yell it to the heavens. Or at least to the “holy angels”. :-)

[Paul R.]

Hi, Robert,

Yes, good article, and, while there I finally spent a little time on your website, which I enjoyed immenslely.

I don’t have 1/100th of your knowledge about China, but I AM interested. My Mom (through our church) helps teach “conversational English” to mostly Chinese students at a local university (here in the U.S.) and I’ve met & gotten to know many of her students. Quite a few have become permanent family friends. I also have other Chinese business contacts (again, some of whom have become friends), and, additionally, my brother recently married a Chinese woman in HanDan. (He’s there now, in fact!)

I find your website very informative, fair, and “evenhanded”. Definitely one to bookmark!

[robertvance]

Paul,

Thanks for your comments. I try to be fair as much as possible but often it is not perceived that way. I have been the target of many a nasty comment both on my websites and in other forums.

The Chinese are wonderful people. They are warm and hospitable and generally open minded (as much as they can be in the environment in which they live). Fortunately, some of the people who at first called me names have stuck around on my website to engage in some very interesting dialogue. The main purpose of the site is to promote dialogue about some of the most important issues in China.

I hope you get a chance to visit this country sometime (if you haven’t already). Spending any amount of time here can be a life changing experience.

[robertvance]

I’m sorry I wasn’t around a thousand years ago to report on the evils taking place in the world. The story of corruption at the local levels of government in China is not made up by the foreign media. Most of my friends here, as I mentioned in the article recognize the corruption and are concerned about where the earthquake donations are going.

As far as good news is concerned, there are positive stories coming out of China quite often. The economy in China is an international marvel and recently the Chinese people and its government have been praised for the earthquake response. I just think you need to look a little harder.

[adcycn]

Just It makes me sick when I saw people ALWAYS accusing or condemning the "GUILTS" of China,and usually their ultimate conclusion is that the "EVIL" government should be pulled down.

Most times they calculate our country with their own experience and axiology.That's self-righteous and disobliging. Different culture and history made big difference.But they don't know it and they are not willing to know it.All they care is themselves,their own safety and theory,they don't really respect life and other country's thoughts. They thought they do but they don't.

And the way they used is always same.Like reporting every dark side of the society,explaining the situstion by their own wish,misconstrueing the real voice of common folks,and always their latent voice is that the poor citizens is in hell and the devil government should be razed,blahblahblah....

Look,we don't deny the dark things,we know it,and regret it,and hate it.But we won't hang our parents because they give us a poor family and often do some bad things for now.

Do they really know China?No,they don't.For the last one hundred years of Qing(the last Dynasty of China)and the chaos 40 years before the PRC established China has suffer a lot from the corruption and war against foreign invader,including Russian,English,French,German, Japanese,American,Italy,Austria,spanish,Netherland,etc.,one by one or together.Almost every empire of Western are eager to raze China and seize its property and lands.China changed to a semi-colony country from the biggest Empire of the world long ago.People were killed and most fortune of China was robbed which made Chinese is so poor now.Fortunately we didn't change to the total colony of some robber country.And we struggle to survive from the hard time of the Opium War,the JiaWu War,the World War,the civil war.

Will you know the feeling and history scar of that?Will you know the pain and sorrow of that?To tell you,We are very very afraid to be into a such chaos country again.That's the biggest concern we care more than anyting.To know it and to respect it before you are talking about it.

The government now is the choice of history.I don't think any government or party or ism has some kind of nature.It's silly to talk about that this is a evil one and this is a good one.

We know the dark side existed,we know the fault the gov.t made ,we know the corruption,we know the information block and filter things,we know all that more than you abroad people.Do we like it?Of course not,we are not child,and just because we are not child we know it is not so simple.

You modern white-collar sitting comfortably in your chair,drinking whiskey,with full social insurance without worring food and living while thousand millions of chinese,same as other invaded country in history,are still struggling to live in the bad and poor circumstance which caused by war,invasion,nature disaster.And what will we say when we saw you guys standing far far away with disdain and yelling:"Pull down your government!For Freedom!For human right!"
I say:" bull shit."
Corruption?Can you ensure that the next government are all angles and no corruption?For I know,the thousands governments of the nearly 30 dynasty of China all had corruptions for 4 thousand years of China.Unless the situation was critical,nothing happens.Corruption is just a sin of humankinds which can be seen everywhere everytime.

And is this the critical time of China?It is if the gov,t was razed now.We know more things than the corruptions things.We also know we need a steady gov.t which can bring steady life for most of the people in a long time.The freedom and human right you talked by your background is not suitable for us for now.After maybe 100 years,when we recover from the pain and poor and dangerous environment,we maybe will play those total democracy game and enjoy its benifit.

Face the truth,Every big country will be regarded as enemy of other country,especially the other big country.It is Politics and orginal sin of humankinds tradition.As American,you should know that more than us.

Many people always stick on SIMPLE JUSTICE.Like a Young Paladin order every man he met to donate all his money to God and kill him if he denied.

Sorry Paul,Above words are to those biased people.When I said "you" not mean to you.Just My writing habit.

For example, if there are forums in China discussing these issues, provided english translation is available or possible, many here would be fascinated to read them.

My english is not so good to translate them.Maybe you can use some translation tools,though chinese is hard to translate with tools.For I know,this;and this is some forums you can check.You may can find someone who know chinese to translate them for you.You can find all the darkest things exposured there more than here.

I have Chinese friends in China who tell me NOT to read the official news sources — they tell me to read news out of Taiwan or Hong Kong. Are they correct?

Not to totally trust anyone.Analyse it,not just accept it.

I recently read on TIME / CNN that most of the online discussion in China about the poor construction quality of the schools has been deleted, and the subject now banned. Is this true? Use baidu.com ,the biggest search engine in China with keywords like"地震 校舍" （which means "earthquake school house"),then you can check by your own eyes.
And let me repeat again,the banned,blocked things really exist,it's just both concern are different by you and us.Your care is human right such noble things ,while our concern is steady of total society to save our time to reconstruct country,not wasting time on civil war to ruin more human life and property which is some of the western government really want.A big country with mass people like us is hard to feed and control.Severe technique is needed for most people's safety.It's the lesson of history.Even the CCP is razed,the next gov,t will surely follow the same policy if they want to give the people a better life.Then shall we raze it again?Accept it,it is China,not America,let the chinese judge by themselves.When something should be done,it will be done sooner than you can imagine.If you read the total thousands years history of china ,you will know it.

I know it's not tally with your concept,but you should know it and try to understand it.Not we want to be in hell,but sometimes the hell fire will keep us from falling down. And it's not even as serious as a hell,according to this 30 years efforts of china.We are begining to have a good life,but we still need more time to achieve more level on the noble things. Proprieties of Royalty is not what we need now.What you thought as justice is only poison to us for now.I know it is some politician's wish.

Come on,we can talk about the dark side of gov.t or country even people with each other.But please forget the biased image.Debate in practical ways,like offer the law article,the assuasive way to solve .That what we are doing now.Not just simple condemnation of "evil" ,"Nazi",and easyly saying"against it!pull down it!" Gun fight will not solve any problem but cause more.

[adcycn]

I didn't mean there are no corruption in china.Just when I saw some guys always stick on those things to accuse china it makes me sigh.Shadow and Light are always together.

I'd like to see such report lead to reasonable solvent and calm constructive discuss in science domain.Like how to reduce it and avoid it.But all I saw is always trial.Then I lampooned.That's all.