Int'l community concerned about earthquake relief efforts
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OVERSEAS CHINESE MOURN FOR VICTIMS, DONATE
On Tuesday, a flag-lowering ceremony was held in the camp of the Chinese peacekeeping police in the Haitian capital Port-au-Prince.
The Chinese police and the staff from a trade promotion agency in Haiti stood solemnly and saw a five-star red flag, China's national flag, lowered at half-mast.
The police officers held their helmets in hand, dropped their heads and stood in silent tribute, with tears running down their cheeks.
Also Tuesday, an 83-year-old Chinese Thai named Qin Xiqiu came to the Chinese embassy in Bangkok, and handed over an envelope packed with 500,000 Thai baht (14,600 U.S. dollars) to the Chinese ambassador.
Qin's son said Qin, despite his poor health and old age, insisted on his own visit to the embassy and the donation after learning the Yushu quake.
On Sunday, the Chinese students in France gathered beside the Eiffel Tower in Paris and formed a huge heart-shaped figure with white candles to express their condolences to quake victims. In the center of the "heart," there were some small "hearts" formed by colorful candles.
INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY PAYS ATTENTION TO QUAKE
Izumikawa, working for Japan's international trade promotion agency, set up a donation account at the website of the Chinese embassy to Japan, and transferred it to 90 friends.
"I hope more people would know this account and make their efforts to help quake victims," he said.
Maria, an editor with Chile's El Pais newspaper, said Chilean readers closely followed the Yushu quake, and shared the feelings of people in the disaster zone, as Chile recently suffered an 8.8-magnitude quake.
Japan's Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper, in an article, praised the Chinese government's timely quake relief efforts, and quoted the Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao's remarks made in the disaster zone: "We will make 100 percent efforts to save lives if only there is a sliver of hope. We will make a stand and never give up."
The Wall Street Journal said the Chinese leaders had played an important role in the quake relief work. It also quoted local citizens as saying that people's morale was boosted and fear pacified in the disaster region after President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao visited there.
