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Daniel Ren

Family members of missing Shanghai tourists lashed out on Wednesday at inaction by local authorities, demanding the city government organise a trip for them to the site of the capsized Eastern Star on the Yangtze River.
A Zhabei district official said on Wednesday afternoon that trips would be organised for them "in the next two days", but some relatives were not convinced.
"We can't trust you anymore," said Shen Ruifu, a relative of one of the missing. "We need action, not promises."
More than 50 relatives gathered at an office building on Datong Road, the meeting place designated by the Zhabei district government for family members of the missing.
Of the more than 450 people on board the ship when it went down, 97 were tourists from Shanghai.
The Shanghai Xiehe Travel Agency, which organised the cruise, is also based in Zhabei.
"We are anxiously expecting a clear answer from the government - will they or won't they organise a trip to where the vessel sank? Or is it that they just don't want to do it," said Jin Weifeng, whose father-in-law was one of the missing tourists.
"We can go by ourselves but it's obvious that the authorities should take the responsibility to coordinate everything in the face of the big tragedy."
The Zhabei authorities have deployed dozens of officials and medical staff to take care of the families, but relatives said they had little response to their requests.
"They just tried to prevent us from complaining and protesting," said Wu Siying, whose 51-year-old mother was missing. "They treat us as enemies rather than people who need their help."
Zhang Wenzhong, whose uncle and aunt were missing, said he was beaten by a security guard at the gate of the municipal government's office in People's Square yesterday when he and 20 other family members sought answers from the government.
"We are not asking the impossible," he said. "Our request is simple but the government doesn't care about us at all."
The lack of action is in contrast with authorities in Jiangsu and Fujian , who have already arranged trips for families from their jurisdictions.
The Shanghai government also tightened its grip on local media in the aftermath of the disaster. Local media were not allowed to publish stories about the reactions from the families, according to three sources with Shanghai's state-owned media organisations.


Official inaction angers relatives of the missing in Yangtze River tragedy

Relatives of Shanghai tourists missing on the Eastern Star want authorities to arrange a trip to the site. Photo: Reuters

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