8A= THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
WORLD
THURSDAY. FEBRUARY 27, 2003
Residents recover,rebuild after Chinese earthquake
The Associated Press
QONGKURQAK, China—Wu Xiaoning was jolted awake to find her house collapsing. Wang Xiaomi dashed outdoors and saw school children throwing themselves to the rumbling ground in terror.
The violent quake that struck this remote part of China lasted only seconds. But when it was finished, this farming town lay in ruins. At least 266 people were dead, according to official count, and the lives of thousands of others were devastated.
The quake rumbled through the western Xinjiang region Monday, leaving 90 percent of the
town's 30,000 residents homeless as row upon row of mud-brick houses collapsed into dust. The area.1,750 miles west of Beijing is so isolated that rescuers were still arriving yesterday.
"I was awakened by a huge sound," said Wu, who is in her 40s. "I realized the walls in the room next to our bedroom were collapsing because of an earthquake. I was so frightened. My husband jumped on top of me to protect me. Everywhere there were people screaming."
Yesterday Wu and her husband were lying outdoors on a makeshift bed, sharing a thin mattress on a wide wooden
bench. She was bleary-eyed and had straw in her hair.
"If the earthquake had lasted any longer, our bedroom would've collapsed and I wouldn't be here today," she said, smiling. "I really thank my god."
The quake struck at 10:03 a.m., but caught many people asleep or eating breakfast — a quirk of government policy that enforces the same time zone across China. This far west, where the sun in winter doesn't rise until after 9 a.m., people begin their day two hours behind the official clock.
In all, officials say, 266 people died, 2,055 were injured and more than 3,000 buildings were razed.
Surrounded by a vast expanse of ocher-colored dust, Qongkurqak (pronounced Chong kur chak) is in one of China's most remote areas, lying at the western edge of the vast Taklamakan Desert.
At dawn yesterday, clusters of families were camped out in makeshift beds in front of their gutted homes, huddled under thin quilts as they tried to keep warm in freezing temperatures. The Chinese Red Cross said it worried about disease among people who lacked adequate tents and blankets, while the government said it was rushing thousands of both to the region by truck and train.
The air was filled with smoke of hundreds of cooking fires. Families sat beside a jumble of possessions pulled from the wreckage—a chair, a wooden table, a guitar.
Around them was a litter of broken tiles, bricks, bits of concrete, wood and shards of glass.
By noon, the town's grid of streets was bustling with cars, motorcycles and wooden mule-drawn carts. Children wandered about, holding hands. Men smoked and chatted.
For the first time since the quake, vendors at a market set up stalls selling fruit, clothes and huge pink cuts of goat meat.
Yusan Aisan, a Muslim who
"If the earthquake had lasted any longer, our bedroom would've collapsed and I wouldn't be here today."
Wu Xiaoning Victim of Qongkurqak earthquake
sells traditional rice and roasted mutton, stood beside a freshly skinned goat.
"Today, I opened because we all have nothing to eat. Everyone has to eat," he said. "My house is gone. Three relatives are gone. But life goes on."
American forces prepare war plans
The Associated Press
CAMP AS SAYLIYAH, Qatar — The American general who would lead an Iraq invasion finetuned the battle plan yesterday with his senior commanders.
The operation would be executed from a command post shielded by a chain-link fence hidden inside a warehouse on this remote desert base.
Army Gen. Tommy R. Franks met for several hours with the commanders of his naval, air, land and special operations forces, who normally report to him from their war-fighting posts in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.
If war comes, Franks would command the operation from Camp As Sayliyah, a 262-acre compound outside Doha, the
Qatari capital, although he has the technological capability to direct it from either his permanent Central Command headquarters in Tampa, Fla., or a new airborne command post.
Although Franks' appearance at Camp As Sayliyah raised speculation in the Gulf that an Iraq war was imminent, aides said he intended to return to the United States this weekend for further consultations with Bush and others.
About 200,000 U.S. troops have gathered on Iraq's periphery, and more are en route from the United States and Europe. Britain is contributing 45,000 troops.
U. S. Air Force fighters would attack mainly from bases in Kuwait, Qatar and Turkey. Bombers would fly from Oman
and the island of Diego Garcia. Support planes would operate from Saudi Arabia and several other countries.
The Navy has five aircraft carriers within range of Iraq—each with about 50 strike aircraft aboard. The Marines would operate as part of the Kuwait-based ground force as well as the air effort.
Franks also held talks yesterday with British Defense Minister Geoff Hoon, who said afterward that Saddam still has time to avert war.
Hoon told a news conference the British government is confident the U.N. Security Council will pass a resolution authorizing war against Iraq and he predicted anti-war sentiment around the world would subside in the days ahead.
Hoon also echoed Franks' comments, in an Associated Press interview Tuesday, that U.S. and allied military commanders cannot guarantee the safety of civilians who would position themselves near potential bombing targets.
Franks has declined to say publicly which command post he would use to run an Iraq war, although it was clear from a tour of the Joint Operations Center here that Camp As Sayliyah would be the primary nerve center.
The highly restricted operations center, run by about 50 military personnel, uses advanced computer and communications technology to coordinate movements and planning among the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps.
North Korea urges preparation for attack
The Associated Press
SEOUL, South Korea North Korea urged its people and armed forces to be ready for war and said yesterday that it could be the U.S. military's next target after Iraq.
The communist government in Pyongyang accuses the United States of planning to send reinforcements into its coastal waters as a precursor of invasion.
Washington has repeatedly said it wanted a peaceful solution to the standoff over North Korea's nuclear activities,but said it leaves all options open.
In a statement carried by the North's official Korean Central News Agency yesterday, the Foreign Ministry accused the United
States of planning war games in South Korea so it could attack the North.
Also yesterday, the North said an American spy plane made a new intrusion over the country.
The official Korean Central News Agency said the RC-135 reconnaissance plane flew above the country on an intelligence mission, according to the Yonhap news agency, which monitors dispatches from Pyongyang.
KCNA made the same accusation Tuesday, noting that flight signaled the United States was trying to "find an opportunity to mount a preemptive attack on the DPRK."
DPRK, or Democratic People's Republic of Korea, is the official name of North Korea.
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KU on Wheels Route Hearings Monday, March 3,2003 5:30-7:30 PM
Wheat Room, Kansas Union (4th floor, O&L Offices) Questions: 864-4644 or kuonwheels@ku.edu If Presenting, Please notify KU on Wheels in advance.
KU's African Students' Association Presents
Door to Africa Saturday, March 1st, 2003
Win Gift Certificates at the door from Carlos O'Kelly's & Montana Mike's!
Food, Music, Dance and Fashion From Nigeria, Cameroon, Zimbabwe Kenya, Congo, Senegal, Gambia and so many other countries.
Featuring recipes such as Yasa from Mali Jollof Rice from Ghana Couscous from Senegal!!!
and then the Kansas Union Ballroom. $5 at the door. Student Senate, Checkers, Dilions, Community Mercantile, Walmart, Target, Food 4 Leas and many others.
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