Smoke Screen--The Qiandao Lake Tragedy and Coverup

Date: March 31

Mainland China: After the fourth session of substantive discussions between the Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) of Taiwan and the Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits (ARATS) of the mainland concluded on March 30, SEF deputy secretary general Shi Hwei-you left Beijing.

News came out of Qiandao Lake in Zhejiang Province that the tour boat "Hai Rui" had had a fire and that the tourists were missing. The Hai Rui disappeared while carrying 24 Taiwanese tourists from Shendu in Anhui to Monkey Island.

Another boat making the same journey, the Huang Shan, discovered the situation and reported to the Zhejiang Public Security Bureau.

Date: April 1

Mainland China: Mainland authorities claim that they received reports of the disaster only at 8:00 am. The Public Security Office of Zhejiang Province and the People's Armed Police formed an emergency committee to do a search and rescue. They found the Hai Rui in the vicinity of Monkey Island. The Communist Chinese released in formation saying that there was no one aboard and that there had been signs of a fire.

Taiwan: At five in the afternoon. thirty hours after the incident occurred, The Taiwan Association of Travel Agents first received notification that a 24-person tour group organized by the Soaring Travel Service had not checked into the Qingxin Hotel in Jiande County in Zhejiang Province as per their itinerary.

Date: April 2

Mainland China: In the evening, the Taiwan Affairs Office of Zhejiang Province announced that the Hai Rui had suffered a fire while travelling from Shendu in Anhui to Maozhu Gardens at Qiandao Lake in Zhejiang Province. All people on board--24 Taiwanese tourists, 6 crew members, and two tour guides--were killed. Their bodies had been badly burned so that identification was difficult.

Because the six crew on board also died in the hold, a theory began to circulate at Qiandao Lake that this had been a case of robbery and murder. The biggest question was that if this had been an accidental fire, why had no one jumped into the water to try to escape? This is especially true for the crew members, all of whom had had life-saving training and were quite at home in the water. There were further rumors that a day after the incident smoke was again seen billowing from the boat, raising speculations that the corpses were again robbed and that a second fire was lit to burn the evidence; this in turn raised speculation that Public Security officials were involved.

Taiwan: Family members expressed incomprehension and anger at the inconsistency of mainland Chinese statements on one day that the Hai Rui passengers had gone missing and the next that the bodies had been found; they were angry that it took a full day for them to find out the situation.

Because this incident caused the most deaths of any accident involving Taiwanese tourists in Taiwan. Taiwan's Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF)expressed hope it could send a representative to go to the mainland to investigate the situation and to assist the families of the victims; this request was refused by the mainland side.

Date: April 3

Mainland China: Three representatives of the Taiwan Association of Travel Agents spent the entire night of the 2nd travelling from Shanghai, arriving at Qiandao Lake in Zhejiang at 10:00 am. They were not allowed near the scene of the incident, and were refused permission to take photos or make videotapes.

The Communist authorities deployed hundreds of Public Security officers and People's Armed Police at the Xiyuan Hotel in Chunan, where relatives of the victims were to stay.

Taiwan: Families of the victims travelled from Hongkong to the scene in two groups, one in the morning and one in the afternoon.

Date: April 4

Mainland China: In the morning, Yang Jianxin, director of the Information Office of the Zhejiang Provincial Government, denied the possibility that there could have been robbery and murder on the Hai Rui.

Relatives of the victims arrived at the scene, and hurried to the Chunan Transport Company, where the bodies of the Taiwanese were being temporarily kept, to make identifications. The relatives discovered that the bodies had been cut open and damaged beyond recognition.

Because most or the bodies were charred above the waist, but were intact below the waist, and the bodies were all found with the arms wrapped protectively around their heads, relatives suspected that the victims had been crowded into the hold and then murdered with a flamethrower, or doused with gasoline and set afire.

Family members noticed marks in the Hai Rui that appeared to be made by bullets; the Chinese Communist authorities said that these were bolt holes. Family members pointed out that if these were bolt holes, they should run all the way through the wood rather than just having a concave mark. The authorities refused the requests of family members to photograph the boat or the bodies of the victims for evidence.

Several relatives revealed to Taiwan reporters disguised as relatives that the large amounts of cash carried by the victims were missing. As for the few objects that the main land Chinese authorities claimed were found on the boat, relatives wondered why no burnt remains of pieces of luggage had been found, why some of the cash appeared new and completely intact, and why the travel permits had remained in tact.

Requests by relatives that the bodies be first moved to a funeral home in Hangzhou, and then transported back to Taiwan for burial, were refused by the Communist authorities. The mainland authorities stated that the bodies should be cremated on the spot. But relatives argued that after past incidents, such as the Putian traffic accident, the authorities hadnot only allowed officials from relevant organizations in Taiwan to come to assist relatives of the deceased, they permitted the bodies to be returned to Taiwan intact. So why did they respond differently in this case? The attitude of the mainland authorities in refusing to let the families take the victims' bodies back to Taiwan raised further questions that this incident was not so simple.

Reporters from Taiwan attempting to inter view family members about prayers and offerings for the deceased were repeatedly ordered by armed policemen to leave the scene on the grounds of "illegal reporting."

When the relatives returned to the Xiyuan Hotel at night, they were locked in by armed police and restricted from leaving the hotel.

Taiwan: According to the agreement on communication and meetings signed between ARATS and the SEF at the "Koo-Wang Talks" in April of last year, each side should have appointed a deputy secretary general as contact person for any emergency situation, so that the two sides could keep in touch and adopt appropriate measures. But for several days after the incident, it proved impossible to reach the contact person appointed by the mainland side. Although ARATS did send someone to the scene of the incident, at no time did they contact the SEF to make any explanation.

According to article 74 of the criminal code of mainland China, "In cases of suspicious death, the Public Security agencies shall have the right to decide to have an autopsy, and shall notify family members to at tend." Article 2 of the mainland's "Autopsy Regulations" states that in criminal cases when it is necessary to do an autopsy to determine cause of death, "permission should first be received from the family of the deceased." In general, countries respect the wishes of the family when it comes to performing autopsieson victims, and most have clear procedures stipulated for this process. The Chinese Communist method of performing autopsies without even notifying the families angered the relatives of the victims.

Because many questions persisted about the incident, and because the mainland authorities would not accommodate the requests of the families and refused Taiwan reporters permission to visit the scene, stirrings began among people in Taiwan to halt travel to the mainland in order to force the mainland authorities to take more seriously the problem of the safety of Taiwanese visitors.

Date: April 5

Mainland China: Family members still were hoping that the bodies of the victims could be returned to Taiwan for burial. They discussed the disposition of the bodies with Liu Xirong, vice-governor of Zhejiang Province. Liu raised three proposals: That the bodies be buried, that they leave the country after being cremated, or that they be refrigerated. Relatives negotiated for two days with the mainland authorities over the disposition of the bodies; after their protests were ignored and they were in a state of exhaustion, they agreed in the evening to have the bodies cremated.

The director of the Taiwan Affairs Office of Zhejiang reiterated that the Qiandao Lake boat incident was simply an accident, that there were no bullet holes in the boat, and that there were no wounds on the corpses.

Taiwan: The SEF asked ARATS for the third time that the Taiwan side be allowed to send a representative to assist the relatives, and was again refused.

Taiwan's agencies in charge of mainland policy held an emergency meeting. They expressed hope that the mainland authorities would handle the case with a substantive and forthright attitude and made three points: (1)The views of the families should be respected, the bodies should be handled in an appropriate way, and photographs should be allowed for preservation. (2) The SEF should be allowed to send a representative to give humanitarian assistance to the relatives. (3) Taiwan reporters should be allowed to visit the scene.

Taiwan legislators of both government and opposition expressed deep concern over the mainland's methods of performing autopsies without permission, failing to release any information, banning the media from going to the scene, and effectively placing family members under house arrest. They made an emergency appeal to the Executive Yuan regarding these problems.

Date: April 6

Mainland China: Relatives took a boat from the Xiyuan Hotel to the Menggutang Docks to hold a funeral; in the afternoon they took a boat onto the lake to find the spot where the disaster occurred and said prayers and made offerings.

Taiwan asked the mainland's ARATS to allow Shih Chi-ping, a deputy secretary-general of Taiwan's SEF who was in nearby Shanghai, to assist the families of the deceased; this request was refused by ARATS vice chairman Tang Shubei.

Taiwan: Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council held an emergency meeting of relevant agencies and tourism industry representatives. They decided that the tourist industry would immediately cease advertising tours to the mainland and would accept no new tour groups.

The Foreign Affairs Committee of the Legislative Yuan decided to ask the Tourism Bureau of the Ministry of Transportation and Communications to declare the mainland a "high-risk travel area." They also asked the Government Information Office to appeal to the United Nations Human Rights Commission and other international organizations and also to draw the attention of the international media to Communist China's infringement of human rights.

Travel associations and civic groups in all of Taiwan's cities and counties initiated efforts to boycott travel to the mainland. It is estimated that after the Qiandao Lake incident nearly 100 tour groups cancelled their trips.

The Democratic Progressive Party decided to temporarily ban any party workers and officials from travelling to the mainland.

Date: April 7

Mainland China: The bodies of the 24 Taiwanese victims were cremated atthe Tonglu Public Cemetery in Zhejiang.

Taiwan: Premier Lien Chan pointed out in strong terms at a Cabinet meeting that the Communist Chinese handling of the Qiandao Lake incident revealed their disregard for human rights and their careless attitude toward human life. He demanded that the mainland clarify the real situation and also deal reasonably with the families.

Date: April 8

Mainland China: In the evening, SEF deputy secretary general Shih Chi-ping was finally given permission to meet with relatives of the victims in Hangzhou, to hear their views, and to assist them in leaving the mainland. They also won permission from ARATS vice chairman Liu Gangqi to send SEF personnel to Beijing on the 10th to discuss compensation and other issues relating to the Qiandao Lake tragedy.

Taiwan: President Lee Teng-hui for the first time publicly criticized the mainland's handling of the incident.

John Chang, minister of the Overseas Chinese Affairs Commission, called on all overseas Chinese around the world to boycott trips to the mainland until Communist China clearly investigated the incident and punished the perpetrators. A boycott movement began among overseas Chinese in Southern California in the US.

Date: April 9

Mainland China: Family members expressed dissatisfaction with the cause of death listed on the death certificates issued by the Chinese Communist authorities: "Burned to death in a fire aboard the Hai Rui touring boat." But the authorities only issued the certificates at the last minute before relatives were to board the plane to leave, so the relatives could not protest.

Taiwan: The families of the 24 Qiandao victims brought the ashes back to Taiwan. A ceremony of mourning was held at the airport, as was a press conference for domestic and foreign reporters. At the press conference relatives described their treatment in the mainland and the many doubts they felt after seeing the scene of the incident.

Relatives said that some of the bodies appeared to have been burned twice. Mrs. Chuang Shu-fen stated that although the upper part of her husband's body had been burned, the lower part was intact, but the athletic shoes he was wearing when he died had been charred.

Date: April 11

Taiwan: The Ministry of Economic Affairs asked all units to work with the government's policy on the Qiandao Lake incident and to stop processing applications for investment in the mainland until the incident bad been resolved. It also ordered a halt to deliberations on whether mainland semi-finished goods and agricultural and industrial raw materials could be imported.

The SEF once again asked the ARATS to convene a meeting at the earliest possible time to discuss the handling of the Qiandao Lake incident and the safety of the persons and property of Taiwanese.

Date: April 12

Mainland China: SEF deputy secretary general Shih Chi-ping and ARATS permanent vice-chairman Tang Shubei met in Beijing. The two sides agreed that the incident should be investigated and the truth announced as quickly as possible. They held specialized discussions about the incident as well as about personal safety and the protection of property. The SEF hoped that special negotiations could begin within 10 days either in a third site, possibly in Hongkong.

Taiwan: The boycott movement spread to cultural and academic exchanges. The Mainland Affairs Council decided that it would immediately temporarily halt processing of applications for any mainland performing troupe to come to Taiwan, and would temporarily halt all academic and cultural exchanges.

Date: April 13

Taiwan: The Tourism Bureau invited travel industry trade associations, the Consumer Foundation, the Mainland Affairs Council, and scholars to discuss the places and routes followed by Taiwanese travelling in the mainland. They declared that Qiandao Lake, Huang Mountain, the Three Gorges, and other locations are high-risk areas.

In the evening, the Executive Yuan convened the Second Special Meeting on the Qiandao Tragedy. It was decided that, until mainland China made the truth of the incident public, they would ask all those in the travel industry to temporarily halt trips to the mainland beginning on May 1.

The number of people cancelling tours to the mainland increased steadily; more than 200 tours were cancelled in the previous two weeks.

Date: April 14

Mainland China: The Hongkong magazine Dongxiang reported that mainland China had already isolated nearly 15 persons suspected of involvement in the Qiandao Lake incident, but the mainland denied the report.

Date: April 15

Taiwan: According to a poll by Gallup Taiwan, under the influence of the Qiandao Lake incident, the percentage of people in Taiwan supporting Taiwan independence rose to 27%, the highest point since public opinion polling began on this issue a few years ago. The percentage of people opposed to Taiwan independence reached its lowest point.

Date: April 16

Taiwan: There was a collective funeral service held for the 24 victims of the incident; Vice President Li Yuan-tzu attended, representing the President.

Date: April 17

Mainland China: Communist China for the first time admitted that the March 31 fire on the tour boat on Qiandao Lake was a premeditated case of robbery, murder, and destruction of evidence." They announced that they had arrested three suspects. This completely overturned previous statements that the incident had been an accident. They also stated that the criminals used knives, axes, and guns in the crime, confirming that the Taiwanese family members probably did see bullet holes in the Hai Rui.

Taiwan: Because the Chinese Communists had not released any information about the background, motives, weapons used, or disposition of the stolen property in the incident, the Taipei Association of Travel Agents decided to maintain its boycott until the full truth had been revealed.

Date: April 18

Mainland China: Chinese Communist premier Li Peng stated that the Qiandao Lake incident was a horrible crime, and that the perpetrators should be harshly punished under the law.

Taiwan: Because the report on the case delivered by the mainland's ARATS was only about 100 words long, and gave no clear information about the situation of those suspected to be involved in the case, the families of the deceased and people in Taiwan suspected that the mainland was merely using scapegoats to try to deal with the situation.

Premier Lien Chan stated that the government was still awaiting a detailed explanation from mainland China.

Date: April 20

Mainland China: The mainland authorities decided to try and sentence the criminals rapidly, and permitted Taiwan reporters to go to Qiandao Lake to do indepth reports.

Date: April 22

Mainland China: ARATS formally gave a report on the investigation of the case to the SEF, and insisted that there were indeed only three persons involved in the crime; they also provided stolen property, money, and the weapons used in the offense.

Taiwan: The SEF and the Mainland Affairs Council asked ARATS in writing for an emergency meeting because the report released by the mainland authorities did not yet respond to the questions raised by the families of the deceased, such as how three people could overcome 32, or what happened to the luggage and Taiwan identification cards of the tour group of more than 20 persons. Family members raised "six doubtful points" and provided them to all sectors.

Date: April 23

Mainland China: Ma Guangwu, director of the Taiwan Affairs Office of the Zhejiang Provincial Government, stated that he found the six doubtful points raised by the relatives of the deceased "laughable."

Taiwan: The SEF sent a written note to the ARATS regarding the possibility of organizing a group to understand the situation in the Qiandao Lake incident. But some members of the group noted that the autopsies had already been performed and the bodies cremated, so there was no longer any physical evidence to examine. They would have to rely on the mainland coroner's reports, which would not necessarily be of help in understanding the truth; there were even concerns this would help mainland China obscure the truth.

Date: APril 26

Mainland China: The Chinese authorities formally write to invite the Straits Exchange Foundation to arrive in Hangzhou May 4 to receive a report about this incident.

Taiwan: The Straits Exchange Foundation agrees to go to Hangzhou for the time being, but still asks the Chinese Communists to agree that both sides engage in further negotiations in Hong Kong about the incident.

[Picture Caption]

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Has scenic Qiandao Lake become a nightmare for Taiwanese tourists? (photo courtesy of the China Travel Service)

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The Qiandao Lake boat disaster took the lives of 24 Taiwanese tourists, leaving many bereaved relatives. (photo courtesy of Lin Hsi-ming)

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After the incident, the Chinese Communists repeatedly insisted that it was an accident, yet they dispatched armed police and Public Security to block off access to the Hai Rui, not allowing anyone, including reporters and family members of the victims, to approach the boat. (photo courtesy of Lin Hsi-ming)

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"Why is it that corpses of the victims were burned beyond recognition but their belongings are intact?" In order to "prove" that the Hai Rui fire was not robbery and murder, the mainland Chinese stressed that they found some property and money at the scene, but relatives still had their doubts. (photo courtesy of Hsing Ting-wei)

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"What did the Chinese Communists do with my husband?" Chuang Shu-fang, a relative of one of the victims, holds up an athletic shoe her husband was wearing before he died and asks why when she identified the corpse the shoes were intact but when they picked up the effects the shoes were burned black. Yet the pants worn by her husband were not scorched, so why were there burn marks on the bottom of the shoes? (photo courtesy of the Government Information Office)

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The way mainland China handled the Hai Rui incident caused anger across the social spectrum in Taiwan. Democratic Progressive Party members went to the Hsinchu Processing Center for Persons from Mainland China and burned a PRC flag in protest. (photo courtesy of Chiu Kuo-tang)