Homeless Tianjin residents demand compensation, answers

TIANJIN: Residents who fled their homes near vast and deadly explosions in the Chinese port city of Tianjin gathered in anger on Monday (Aug 17) to demand redress from a government they say is ignoring their plight.

About 150 people, some with their faces scarred and many wearing protective breathing masks, descended on a hotel where government and military officials have been holding daily press briefings on the disaster.

"Buy back!," they shouted repeatedly and in unison, demanding compensation for their lost homes and belongings.

Many said they lived just 600 metres from the disaster, which struck Wednesday night and left a wide swathe of the area in ruins.

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asiapacific/homeless-tianjin/2056668.html

China orders nationwide workplace safety check after Tianjin blasts
The Chinese government ordered a nationwide workplace safety check on Monday to correct any irregularities, lamenting the frequency of workplace accidents. The directive comes five days after explosions at a warehouse in Tianjin killed at least 114 people, including 64 firefighters and six police, with 70 still missing. This Daily Mail report contains images of the devastation.

The new order requires a thorough inspection of all safety risks. Chinese authorities are still investigating what safety procedures or other dereliction of duty contributed to the blasts that came from a warehouse for hazardous materials that were being stored in amounts that violated safety rules. Work safety rules also required these facilities to be 1000 metres from highways, residences and public buildings, but in this case they were only 500 metres. An apartment complex nearby had its walls singed and windows shattered. Residents were evacuated and gathered on Monday to demand compensation from the government. The Associated Press reported:

“We victims demand: Government, buy back our houses,” said a banner carried by the residents outside the Tianjin hotel where officials have held daily news conferences about the disaster. “Kids are asking: How can we grow up healthy?” read another banner. … Bian Jiang, a resident of one of the nearby housing complexes, said he was asleep when the first explosion struck Wednesday shortly before midnight. “Twenty seconds later I heard the second explosion and saw the rising mushroom cloud. Then, I was thrown out of bed by the force of the blast. I was wondering if we would able to get out alive,” he said, adding that his home is now ruined. “All the windows are gone.”

http://asiancorrespondent.com/134868/china-orders-nationwide-workplace-safety-check-after-tianjin-blasts/