Lets get this out of the way first: I live and work in China, I love China, and there's a good chance that the following will not be impartial. You have been warned.
Two natural disasters have hit Asia in recent weeks. A major Cyclone has hit Myanmar, and an extremely powerful earthquake has hit China yesterday, May 12. Lets try and look at how the two countries are dealing with the disasters inflicted on them.
Myanmar can't assist the survivors. The country is poor, poorly ruled, and simply can't provide the aid necessary for the survivors of the storm to stay alive. The government, aware of its shortcomings, isn't allowing foreign aid to enter the country and help the situation. Worse. The government is actually putting its hand on the aid, keeping the best to itself. The government in Myanmar is responsible to the deaths of thousands of its own people, maybe more. In fact, the government of Myanmar is killing its own people, denying them the assistance they need to survive.
China had mobilized help quickly. Against the elements, against time. The Chinese are obviously doing the best they can to reach the area, to conduct a search and rescue operation. In Beijing people are donating money, clothes, food and blood. From where I am it's obvious. China, the government, as well as the people, feels the pain, and is mobilizing to help.
I have been in China for over two years. I've visited the Great Wall of China, the Forbidden City and the Terracotta Warriors. I've been eating Chinese food, watching Chinese movies, and drinking Chinese beer. Always, though, feeling as a foreigner. Yesterday, in less than a minute, I became Chinese. As I was sitting in my office, feeling the earth shaking, fearing the worst, I became part of this great people. Out in the hallways, and later downstairs we were all standing together with our cellphones, trying to reach our loved ones, trying to understand the magnitude of the disaster.
Today, as I follow the news, as we all realize that this disaster is only beginning to unfold, I am not a foreigner anymore.
As is the nature of disasters like this one, it will take weeks before the gruesome tally is finalized. I fear that we have only started to understand the severity of the earthquake. It took a few minutes, and thousands of people lost their lives, their loved ones, their homes. And I was pretty close. I am grateful, I am worried, I sympathize. There are a lot of feelings going on these days.
We, at Sun China are going to organize a fund raiser for the victims of the earthquake. It's the least we can do. From Beijing, let me send my condolences to all who lost their loved ones, a get well wishes to all the injured ones, and most importantly, that all who are still alive and under the rubble, are found quickly and survive their ordeal. If I was a believer, I would start praying for them now.
To the Burmese government I will say: shame on you. Open your doors, allow foreign help in. We don't really care what we find there, but let us help your dying people.
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