Chinese president visits earthquake-hit county of Yushu by Zuzana Zelenakova

Chinese President Hu Jintao visited Yushu county on Sunday making promises to local people about new schools and homes. "There will be new schools! There will be new homes!“ he wrote on blackboard in a tent made into a classroom for orphaned students. President flew to the area after he cut short his visit in Latin America. He arrived to the spot as Tibetan monks cremated victim of the earthquake. Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama asked Beijing Saturday if he could come and offer comfort to the survivors and pray for the dead. The 14th Dalai Lama fled China after the failed 1959 uprising and has lived in an exile in India ever since. It is most unlikely that he wou! ld get permission to visit China. Rescue teams alongside with local residents are searching the ruins of collapsed homes, looking for the dead or trapped and things that could ease their life in tents in the cold. "Our first problem is that there aren't enough tents, and too many of the ones that are arriving are going to people with influence," said an ethnic Tibetan Dongzhu. Mostly Tibetan populated area is about 4000 meters above sea level, therefore the conditions outdoors are quite harsh and quick relief efforts and reconstruction are needed. "When winter comes here, it's very, very cold and windy too," Dongzhu said. "I can't imagine what it would be like to be living in a little tent when winter comes." Residents of Yushu county are mostly farmers and herders and earn only a few thousand yuan a year. "There's absolutely no way that the families around here could afford to pay for new homes themselves, and after this we will want quake-resistant homes," says retired lo! cal official Donghzu. Therefore, it was important for the vict! ims to h ear President Hu Jintao saying that the Communist Party of China and the government “will definitely help quake victims rebuild homes and resume classes for children as soon as possible."

related story (sgx17031): http://www.france24.com/en/20100418-china-president-hu-jinta...

by Zuzana Zelenakova for Cantell TV (http://cantell.tv)

Cantell TV is the fastest growing provider of digital broadcasting coupled with telecommunications, allowing people to easily control, view, upload and share digital content through proprietary interface coupled with free phone calls. Cantell TV is committed to deliv! ering infinite choices to your world of entertainment at the tip of your fingers.