05-15-08

中国称地震死难者可能逾5万 (China Says Quake Death Toll Could Top 50,000)

中国说，星期一致命大地震震中附近有将近400座水坝和水库受到损坏，引发外界新的担忧。中国官员今天(星期四)警告说，死亡人数可能超过五万。

军方继续争取时间抢救数以万计被埋在废墟下的人。西南省份四川的官员说，死亡人数已经上升到了一万九千五百多人。

官方的新华社说，部队已被派去修复四川紫坪铺大坝的裂缝。中国水利部部长说，震区的水坝、水库和水电站都存在严重的安全问题。

中国军队已经向四川派出13万军人，并增派101架直升机来转移灾民并向幸存者空投急救物资。

China says nearly 400 dams and reservoirs near the epicenter of Monday's deadly earthquake were damaged, triggering new worries as Chinese officials warned today (Thursday) that the death toll could top 50-thousand.

The military is in a race against time to rescue tens of thousands believed buried beneath the rubble from Monday's quake. Officials in southwestern Sichuan province say the known death toll has risen to more than 19-thousand-500.

The official Xinhua news agency says troops have been sent to repair cracks in the Zipingpu Dam in Sichuan. China's water minister (Chen Lei) says there are major safety issues with dams, reservoirs, and hydropower stations in the earthquake zone.

The Chinese military has sent 130-thousand troops to Sichuan and deployed 101 more helicopters to airlift victims and drop emergency supplies to quake survivors.

达赖喇嘛抵德 (Dalai Lama Arrives in Germany)

达赖喇嘛今天(星期四)抵达德国时呼吁西藏获得真正的自治，这是他访问西方几国第一站。藏人精神领袖达赖喇嘛将在德国布法，并将与德国政界人士会见。但是他将不会见正在拉丁美洲访问的德国总理默克尔。

北京坚持西藏是中国的一部分。达赖喇嘛和默克尔去年9月在柏林的会见使得德国和中国关系紧张，导致北京取消了与德国高级官员接触的计划。

达赖喇嘛乘抵达法兰克福后，批评中国3月在拉萨暴力镇压抗议活动。拉萨的示威后来蔓延到临近省份。达赖喇嘛说，西藏并不要求从中国独立，只是在中国内部自治。

The Dalai Lama called for real autonomy for Tibet as he arrived in Germany today (Thursday) on the first leg of a visit to several Western countries. The Tibetan spiritual leader will give lectures and meet with politicians while in Germany. But he will not meet with Chancellor Angela Merkel, who is in Latin America.

Beijing insists Tibet is a part of China. A meeting between the Dalai Lama and Chancellor Merkel in Berlin last September strained relations between the two countries and led to Beijing canceling high-level contacts with German officials.

After landing in Frankfurt, the Dalai Lama criticized China's violent suppression of Tibetans following protests in Lhasa in March, which spread to neighboring provinces. He said Tibet is not seeking independence but autonomy within China.