"We have the faith, courage and ability to overcome the severe
natural disaster," Premier Wen Jiabao told the country on Saturday on
board a train in disaster-hit central Hunan Province.
"I am now on a train bound for Chenzhou City with the accompany
of heads of relevant departments of the State Council. We are
helping with the relief work," Wen said in his address on China
National Radio.
He delivered Spring Festival wishes to all people in the
country.
"The general public, especially those who sacrifice their lives
in the disaster relief, are those who moved me most," Wen was
quoted as saying in TV footage from Hunan Economic TV Station. "In
face of the disaster, they show us composure, bravery and the
spirit of sacrifice."
"I often hear people express out of their own will thankfulness
to the government. But those we really should thank are the
masses," he said.
Premier Wen Jiabao convenes an emergency meeting right after
arriving in Changsha, capital of Hunan, Friday afternoon.
It was Wen's second visit to disaster-hit Hunan.
He flew out of Beijing on Monday night to Hunan but had to land
at Tianhe Airport in neighboring Hubei Province because of the bad
weather. He completed his journey by train and arrived in Changsha
City, the provincial capital, on Tuesday morning.
He flew to Hunan for the second time on Friday afternoon shortly
after chairing a meeting that morning in Beijing.
For days on end, China's senior leaders have been leaving the
capital to go to disaster-affected regions to boost public morale
amid the worst snow in decades.
President Hu Jintao made an inspection tour on Thursday
to coal fields in Datong, Shanxi Province, and Qinhuangdao Port in
Hebei Province, through which much of Shanxi's coal is shipped.
Hu entered a mine more than 400 meters underground, taking an
elevator down to meet miners of the Datangtashan coal mine co-op in
Datong who had worked overtime in temperatures of minus 20 degrees
Celsius to increase supply.
Other members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau
of the the Communist Party of China Central Committee also ventured
into the field to join the relief efforts.
(Xinhua News Agency February 3, 2008)
