Coronavirus survivors want answers, and China is silencing them | nytimes COVID19
The text messages to the Chinese activist streamed in from ordinary Wuhan residents, making the same extraordinary request: Help me sue the Chinese government. One said his mother had died from the coronavirus after being turned away from multiple hospitals. Another said her father-in-law had died in quarantine.
“They are worried that if people defend their rights, the international community will know what the real situation is like in Wuhan and the true experiences of the families there,” said Yang, who is living in New York, where he fled after he was briefly detained for his work in China. “I had previously told him: ‘You guys probably face some risk doing this project.’ But I didn’t know how much,” said Chen Kun, whose brother, Chen Mei, is one of the volunteers who disappeared.
Volunteers for similar online projects have also been questioned by authorities in recent days. In blog posts and private messages, members of such communities have warned each other to scrub their computers. The organizers of another GitHub project, 2019ncovmemory, which also republished censored material about the outbreak, have set their archive to private.
Zhang Hai is certain that his father, who died in February, was infected with the coronavirus at a Wuhan hospital. He says he still supports the party but thinks local officials should be held responsible for initially hiding the fact that the virus could spread among humans. Had he known the risk, he said, he would not have sent his father to the hospital for treatment.
Yang, the activist in New York, said at least two of the seven Wuhan residents who had contacted him about taking legal measures against the government dropped the idea after being threatened by police.
Philippines Latest News, Philippines Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
US government report assesses China intentionally concealed severity of coronavirusThe Chinese government intentionally concealed the severity of the coronavirus from the international community while it stockpiled imports and decreased exports, a Department of Homeland Security report found.
Read more »
COVID-19 pandemic leads some firms to rethink China exposure, turn sights on Southeast AsiaWASHINGTON — How countries respond to and manage the Covid-19 pandemic is a new factor in risk assessments, analysts say, as companies increasingly look to Southeast Asia as an alternative to
Read more »
DTI gets nearly 12 tons of fabric from China for PPE manufactureMANILA, Philippines—The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) acquired fabric from China for the local manufacture of personal protective equipment (PPE) for health workers on the frontline of the
Read more »
DHS report: China hid virus’ severity to hoard suppliesWASHINGTON — U.S. officials believe China covered up the extent of the coronavirus outbreak — and how contagious the disease is — to stock up on medical supplies needed to respond to it,
Read more »
U.S. says 'evidence' virus came from China lab as Europe eases lockdownPompeo said early Chinese efforts to downplay the coronavirus amounted to 'a classic Communist disinformation effort. That created enormous risk.'
Read more »
US says ‘evidence’ virus came from China lab as Europe eases lockdownWASHINGTON, United States - US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Sunday said "enormous evidence" showed the new coronavirus originated in a lab in China, further fueling tensions with
Read more »