BEIJING, May 8 (Xinhua) -- China on Friday honored
dozens of military organizations and individuals for their contribution to the
nation's quake relief or scientific research work.
President and Chairman of the Central Military
Commission Hu Jintao signed a decree awarding merits to 15 organizations and 28
individuals with the People's Liberation Army (PLA).
Three classes of merits were meted out in accordance
with the receivers' contribution.
Ten units and individuals were cited for their relief
efforts after the 8.0-magnitude earthquake struck southwestern China on May 12
last year, two for "remarkable troop building," five for "achievements in major
scientific experiments," two for artist creations and the rest for achievements
in scientific researches, according to the decree.
In a separate decree signed by Hu, four other
soldiers and officers were awarded honorable titles as being "model examples"
for their peers.
One of them, Meng Xiangbin, was given the honor
posthumously as he was drowned while trying to save a suicidal woman from a
river in eastern Zhejiang Province in 2007.
BEIJING, May 8
(Xinhua) -- China had invested 360 billion yuan (about 52.7 billion U.S.
dollars) in post-earthquake reconstruction as of April, one-third of the planned
total, and hoped to complete all work within two years, a government official
said here Friday.
According to Mu Hong, vice director of China's National
Development and Reform Commission, most rebuilding of basic housing and
infrastructure had begun and shown considerable progress. Full story
