China's top political advisor Jia Qinglin spent his second day in quake-hit Sichuan Province visiting the epicenter town, shelter camp, major dam and relief station on Friday.
Jia, chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, flew to the epicenter town Yingxiu by helicopter Friday morning.
"You have been suffering. The government is trying its best to arrange your life. I hope you can also recover from the disaster and build a good future with your own hands," He said while visiting local residents.
Jia also talked to soldiers, police officers and militias and thanked them for their tremendous relief efforts.
Later he dropped in a temporary shelter camp in Dujiangyan city and visited a nursery and primary school there. "Some of you lost family members and others lost classmates or teachers. I shared the pains with you. Now I am glad to see that you are brave," he said, wishing them a happy Children's Day that falls on June 1.
Jia's next stop was the Zipingpu dam, over the Yangtze River's main tributary of the Minjiang River near Dujiangyan City, one of the areas seriously hit by the quake.
On Friday afternoon, Jia met with relief workers of a relief station in Guanghan city. He thanked the volunteers, who were helping distribute relief material there, for reaching to the victims and showing them brotherhood of the people across the country.
He also visited a helicopter headquarters and presided over a meeting with local members of democratic parties and representatives of business circle.
The local democratic parties and business circle have contributed a lot to relief work and they are expected to better assist the government to carry out relief and rehabilitation, he said.
Jia arrived in Sichuan Province on Thursday afternoon.
(Xinhua News Agency May 31, 2008)