China Bullet Train Derails

Freetrader · 26-07-2011, 06:31 PM

Originally Posted by Raccon:

What evidence should there be? It's not that the train crashed for unknown reasons, they do know exactly why but just give a shit, along the line of "let's quickly clean up, repair the tracks and continue running the trains and hope it doesn't happen again".

Just another display of incompetence and failure to handle a disaster properly by the Chinese authorities.

I too tend to think that what is really going on here is wounded pride - they put so much store in those goddamn useless bullet trains that the immediate response is to pretty up the wreckage so as not to be reminded of it. Secondarily they figure if they remove or destroy the wreckage people will start forgetting and won't be able to ask questions. They were really hoping to export the technology (which they got, after all, for free from Japan and Europe) but I think that is dead for some time to come - who's gonna buy a train from people who can't even operate them safely?

For them to be crushing the wreckage and cleaning up the site, when they haven't even published a list of the dead and missing, is truly revolting.

Raccon · 26-07-2011, 07:03 PM

Originally Posted by Freetrader:

For them to be crushing the wreckage and cleaning up the site, when they haven't even published a list of the dead and missing, is truly revolting.

Do they usually do this (publishing the list)?

Freetrader · 26-07-2011, 07:09 PM

Originally Posted by Raccon:

Do they usually do this (publishing the list)?

Don't you think the relatives of the people killed are interested in their love ones' fates? The general procedure in most places to to find the next of kin and inform them, then release the information to the public. Of course, in China, they can label the information a 'State Secret' and leave everyone in the dark.

Raccon · 26-07-2011, 07:19 PM

Originally Posted by Freetrader:

Don't you think the relatives of the people killed are interested in their love ones' fates? The general procedure in most places to to find the next of kin and inform them, then release the information to the public. Of course, in China, they can label the information a 'State Secret' and leave everyone in the dark.

I think you misunderstood the reason for my question - I just wanted to know if they usually do this in China. If not then it should be no surprise that they didn't do it this time either, it would just be "standard operating procedure".

I agree that it should be done.

drumbrake · 26-07-2011, 07:21 PM

The number who died after the Sichuan earthquake is still a state secret.

HowardCoombs · 26-07-2011, 07:24 PM

Originally Posted by drumbrake:

The number who died after the Sichuan earthquake is still a state secret.

Is that an official state secret or they just dont know?

I just got back from that area and we drove along the highway where large numbers were buried and died. Good chunks of the area are still under piles of rubble and I doubt they know final numbers; but I guess they can guess based on missing persons reports.

Freetrader · 26-07-2011, 07:46 PM

Originally Posted by Raccon:

I think you misunderstood the reason for my question - I just wanted to know if they usually do this in China. If not then it should be no surprise that they didn't do it this time either, it would just be "standard operating procedure".

I agree that it should be done.

Oh, OK. I actually don't know, but I am pretty sure that it depends on the whim of whoever is running the recovery operation at the time. Generally speaking in China when someone is killed in an accident or murdered, there is a name and age released in the newspaper article, so that is probably the standard procedure. Of course, that leaves out all the crimes and accidents that for whatever reason are not reported by the authorities. I don't know how common withholding information is.