By Wang Wei

Recently, tents labeled "for disaster relief only" have appeared in Chengdu City, raising official eyebrows. As Chengdu is neither a heavily hit disaster area nor one affected by aftershocks, local residents are not entitled to using these relief tents.

Yesterday, the Ministry of Civil Affairs and the Sichuan Civil Affairs Bureau expressed their concern, saying that a relevant investigation group has been established to look into the case. If and when any problems are identified, severe punishment will be meted out.

According to a Southern Metropolitan Daily report, hundreds of people gathered around a tent on Beisen South Street, Qingyang District. The words "for disaster relief only" had been removed from the tent.

The report says that several people were playing mahjong inside the tent. When asked how they had got the tent, one of the players answered, "Through special connections." This reply incited anger among the onlookers, and the police were called. The people playing mahjong in the tent were taken away for questioning.

Various departments, including the media center of Sichuan earthquake relief headquarters, have confirmed via telephone that relief tents have indeed appeared around Chengdu.

Zhao Rupeng, deputy director of the Office of Sichuan Civil Affairs Bureau, said yesterday that he felt incensed at the presence of these tents in Chengdu, but he believed that the civil affairs authorities at both the provincial and municipal level would not be at fault.

"We have to dig out the facts and punish the miscreants," Chen Kefu, deputy director of civil affairs from the same bureau.

The Sichuan Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection and other pertinent departments have established a joint investigation group to look into this problem. Zhao Rupeng said, "Severe punishment will be meted out to whoever is responsible."

A relevant official from the Ministry of Civil Affairs said yesterday that this concern has aroused heated discussions on the Internet. The national earthquake relief headquarters has been consulted. "If relief supplies at disaster areas are misappropriated, severe punishment will be made," this official stated.

Sources indicate that the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and the Ministry of Supervision have designated working groups to supervise the circulation of relief supplies in Sichuan.

Around disaster areas tents are still extremely scarce and a significant number of earthquake victims are still sheltering inside primitive tents.

In addition, the Ministry of Finance issued an urgent notice on May 22 requiring financial departments at all levels to strengthen their supervision over earthquake relief supplies and funds.

The ministry has stressed that all levels of financial departments should increase their financial input and conduct examinations and approval procedures when distributing funds. The "green channel" should be opened in order to speed up funds disbursement. If people are found to be involved in serious illegal acts such as misappropriating or withholding funds, making a false financial report, impersonating others to allocate supplies and funds, or corrupting and/or wasting relief supplies and funds, they will be severely punished.

(China.org.cn May 23, 2008)