Premier vows punishment for any corruption
By Zha Minjie |
July 29, 2011, Friday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
Premier Wen Jiabao said yesterday that the government will punish any corrupt person found responsible for Saturday's high-speed train crash in east China that killed at least 39 people and left nearly 200 injured.
Wen was visiting the crash site near Wenzhou city in Zhejiang Province and held a press conference beneath the elevated railway that had been the scene of the collision.
"Whether there are problems with machinery and equipment, or administrative problems, or problems from the manufacturing, we will investigate them to the very bottom," said Wen.
"If the investigation turns up hidden corruption, we will also deal with this according to the law and there will not be any soft-pedaling."
The train crash, in which 192 were injured, 12 of them seriously, was China's worst rail accident since 2008.
Details of the investigation are expected to be released by mid-September, said Luo Lin, head of the investigation team.
Fielding a reporter's question about the hasty way the crash site was cleaned up, Wen acknowledged there were suspicions about the cause of the crash and rescue operations, and said that the authorities had to take such questions seriously.
"I believe that we should earnestly listen to the public's views, treat them seriously and provide the public with a responsible explanation," said Wen. The premier said he spoke only two words to Railway Minister Sheng Guangzu in a call shortly after the crash: "Save lives."
Wen said he could not visit the accident site earlier because he had been sick for the past 11 days.
"The doctor only today allowed me to check out of hospital," said Wen, 68.
He acknowledged that the accident could hurt trust in China's high-speed railway technology in the country's export markets.
"If we lose safety, we lose the high-speed railway's credibility," he said. "In these years, we've made great achievements in the high-speed railways. But the accident reminds us that we should attach more importance to safety in high-speed railway construction."
Answering a question about how to restore confidence in Chinese technology, Wen said the credibility of the country's high-speed technology could not be proven with words, but only through actions.
"The development of high-speed railway should integrate speed, quality, profit and safety, and safety should be put in first place," said Wen.
"Without safety, high-speed trains will lose their credibility," Wen said, adding that China's high-speed trains won't get the world's nod until they are "truly safe."
Earlier, Wen visited some families of the victims who died or were injured in the crash, including 32-month-old Xiang Weiyi, who was rescued about 21 hours after the collision thanks to a police captain who had refused an order to stop looking for survivors in the wreckage.
The girl's parents were killed in the accident.
Doctors said there is no amputation for her injured leg.
Wen was visiting the crash site near Wenzhou city in Zhejiang Province and held a press conference beneath the elevated railway that had been the scene of the collision.
"Whether there are problems with machinery and equipment, or administrative problems, or problems from the manufacturing, we will investigate them to the very bottom," said Wen.
"If the investigation turns up hidden corruption, we will also deal with this according to the law and there will not be any soft-pedaling."
The train crash, in which 192 were injured, 12 of them seriously, was China's worst rail accident since 2008.
Details of the investigation are expected to be released by mid-September, said Luo Lin, head of the investigation team.
Fielding a reporter's question about the hasty way the crash site was cleaned up, Wen acknowledged there were suspicions about the cause of the crash and rescue operations, and said that the authorities had to take such questions seriously.
"I believe that we should earnestly listen to the public's views, treat them seriously and provide the public with a responsible explanation," said Wen. The premier said he spoke only two words to Railway Minister Sheng Guangzu in a call shortly after the crash: "Save lives."
Wen said he could not visit the accident site earlier because he had been sick for the past 11 days.
"The doctor only today allowed me to check out of hospital," said Wen, 68.
He acknowledged that the accident could hurt trust in China's high-speed railway technology in the country's export markets.
"If we lose safety, we lose the high-speed railway's credibility," he said. "In these years, we've made great achievements in the high-speed railways. But the accident reminds us that we should attach more importance to safety in high-speed railway construction."
Answering a question about how to restore confidence in Chinese technology, Wen said the credibility of the country's high-speed technology could not be proven with words, but only through actions.
"The development of high-speed railway should integrate speed, quality, profit and safety, and safety should be put in first place," said Wen.
"Without safety, high-speed trains will lose their credibility," Wen said, adding that China's high-speed trains won't get the world's nod until they are "truly safe."
Earlier, Wen visited some families of the victims who died or were injured in the crash, including 32-month-old Xiang Weiyi, who was rescued about 21 hours after the collision thanks to a police captain who had refused an order to stop looking for survivors in the wreckage.
The girl's parents were killed in the accident.
Doctors said there is no amputation for her injured leg.
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