Aid relief tents selling for €120 as refugees go unsheltered

Tents that were supposed to be given out to victims left homeless after the devastating earthquake of May 12 have been discovered in unaffected, wealthy areas of the epicentre city of Chengdu, Sichuan province - and, according to web users, they are selling for 1,300RMB (€120). With refugees left unsheltered, protests have broken out over the apparent corruption.

These images were originally published on the Chengdu All-search site. They disappeared - censured? - but later reappeared here.

Blue tents in unaffected areas started appearing over a week ago when warning of an aftershock in the city of Chengdu sent hordes of people to sleep outdoors. Web users soon noticed that many of the tents bore the symbol of aid relief organisations and posted the photos of them on Chengdu All-search.

Furious web users then posted "wanted" posters on the site, demanding that tent-users be questioned about where they got their new "second home". The tents were rumoured to be selling at 700RMB (€60).

They also posted images of unsheltered refugees such as this one from news sites. There are five million refugees in need of three million tents according to Chinese authorities.

Web users then reported that the tent owners had started to try to cover up the origin of their properties. The tents were now reported as being sold for 1,300RMB (€120).

Tensions finally came to a head last Wednesday when protesters against the "tent corruption" took to the streets to demonstrate and were met by police. One internet user says that he was arrested for slander.

More information on this issue on Global Voices.