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To: TobagoJack who wrote (32002)	4/21/2003 4:31:55 AM
From: TobagoJack	Respond to of 74559

Pair sacked over handling of outbreak Monday, April 21, 2003 scmp.com WANG XIANGWEI The central government yesterday sacked the minister of health and the Beijing mayor over their mishandling of the Sars outbreak. The move is aimed at repairing the battered credibility of the government as the new leadership under President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao grapples with the country's biggest national crisis since 1989. A brief announcement by the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party said Hainan party secretary Wang Qishan had been named as the deputy Beijing party secretary, replacing Meng Xuenong. Gao Qiang, executive Vice-Minister of Health, has been named party secretary at the Ministry of Health, replacing Zhang Wenkang. Following party protocol, it is expected Mr Wang will be confirmed as the new Beijing mayor and Mr Gao the new minister of health. Changes of ministers and senior officials such as mayors require the approval of the State Council and the local people's congress, which is a matter of formality. Although the announcements did not specify why the men were sacked, they both played controversial roles in the management of the severe acute respiratory syndrome outbreak. They had declared the situation "under control" at a time when it now appears cases were mounting in Beijing hospitals. The announcement of their removal came hours after other Ministry of Health officials admitted at a press conference that there were almost 10 times more Sars cases in Beijing than had previously been announced. Mr Zhang and Mr Meng were scheduled to attend the two-hour press conference but failed to appear. The news came as the central government took the drastic measure of reducing the week-long Labour Day holiday to three days from seven, dashing the holiday travel plans of tens of millions. Up until yesterday, the government had been encouraging people to travel and spend money during the holiday, which generates significant economic spin-offs. Officials now believe the threat of further spreading the virus is too great to risk a massive movement of people around the nation. Government sources said more sackings were expected to follow at the Ministry of Health and the Beijing municipal government. Officials who are likely to lose their jobs soon include Deputy Minister of Health Ma Xiaowei, who had told a press conference official statistics were accurate and reflected a full account of all hospitals on the mainland, including military facilities. Pressure has been mounting on the central government to take disciplinary action against officials responsible for the mishandling of the Sars outbreak. Many local officials have written angry letters to the central government, calling for the removal of Mr Zhang and other officials, according to informed government sources. They said local officials blamed the slow response of the Ministry of Health for the spread of the virus, which has now infected people in more than 12 provinces. At the central government's first Sars press briefing on April 3, Mr Zhang played down the extent of the crisis and claimed the virus was under control. His claims prompted a military doctor to accuse him of lying in an open letter sent to the overseas media. The central leadership's decision to sack Mr Zhang and Mr Meng is part of its effort to restore the credibility of the government. Many observers see the virus as the most serious test for President Hu and Premier Wen since they came to power in a wide-ranging reshuffle of the party leadership in November. Analysts said the removal of Mr Zhang, a former military doctor who has scant clinical experience, was expected. The sacking of Mr Meng, however, was a surprise. Mr Meng, long considered a rising political star, was a leading representative of the so-called Chinese Communist Youth League faction, the power base of President Hu. He was elected Beijing mayor less than three months ago. Analysts said the appointment of Mr Wang as the new mayor should reassure Beijing residents and the international community as he is widely known as a "fixer" of government disasters. In 1997, he was sent by then-premier Zhu Rongji to deal with the financial crisis in Guangdong, successfully pulling the freewheeling province back from the brink of financial collapse. Although overseas analysts have seen Mr Wang as a protŽQ?of Mr Zhu, who stepped down in March, his latest appointment shows that he also enjoys strong support from the new leadership. Hainan Governor Wang Xiaofeng has been appointed party secretary of the province.

To: TobagoJack who wrote (32002)	4/21/2003 4:40:55 AM
From: smolejv@gmx.net	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 74559

Hi Jay: I think I've got the perfect solution to the SARS problem - it's a piece a cake:forbid people to exhale (). That would also take care of smokers. Of course the stool transmission ... Well, same approach: no toilets for 15 days. - people had decided to "get out and get some fresh air",

To: TobagoJack who wrote (32002)	4/21/2003 5:56:05 AM
From: Maurice Winn	Respond to of 74559

<"If you just look around you see fewer people wearing masks, it is getting hotter and people are fed up with being paranoid about the virus." > Jay, if all the others are wearing a mask, then you might as well not wear a mask because the infected people will sneeze and cough into their own mask, protecting you. So, leave home without the mask. Fly without the mask, goggles and gloves. You will have enjoyed terrorizing everyone originally by wearing your 3M drama when nobody had masks on. Now, you can look like a super-tough dare-devil by not wearing a mask, goggles or gloves. You could wear a HAT! That would then make them wonder why the heck you have no mask, but a hat on. < "We are seeing politicians out on the streets sweeping up rubbish with the masses, > What on earth does sweeping up rubbish have to do with Sar Wars? The infection rate is not accelerating very much. I think they might even win! See my handy-dandy graph here: Message 18862946 Mqurice