Chinese officials have sent condolences and payments to parents of children killed in a school that collapsed in the huge earthquake as they sought to defuse outrage over shoddy buildings.
The letters of condolence from the Juyuan town government in southwest China's Sichuan province went to parents from the town middle school, where hundreds of children died when a classrooms building collapsed in the May 12th quake, even as nearby apartments and offices all stayed upright.
Grieving parents also began receiving 35,000 yuan (€3,000) in promised "condolence money" and payments from government departments, as well as help for children's funerals and their own employment.
Last week, 150 parents from Juyuan gathered at a courthouse of nearby Dujiangyan city to demand redress for dead sons and daughters, clashing with police. In a bid to avoid more protest, Juyuan officials delivered the letters of condolence and checks on Sunday, parents said.
"The Juyuan Town Communist Party Committee and government express our heartfelt grief for the deceased teachers and students," states the letter, shown to Reuters.
But it also reminds parents to heed government wishes. "We sincerely ask parents of deceased children to believe that the Party and government will certainly appropriately handle everyone's demands. Don't believe or spread rumours and conscientiously devote yourselves to post-disaster rebuilding."
The letter said 284 children and teachers died in the Juyuan school and five were still missing. Parents had earlier estimated that as many as 500 may have died.
The letter vowed to enforce the government's demand that evidence from toppled public buildings be kept for inquiries.
Over 69,000 people died in the disaster, including at least 9,000 children trapped in schools that collapsed or were buried in landslides, according to local reports.
Since then, grieving parents have protested that government corruption made a mockery of school building safety standards, and their complaints have become the most politically volatile earthquake issue facing the ruling Communist Party.
While some parents said they were comforted by the letter and others dismissed it, all vowed to keep complaining if officials and contractors they accuse of corruption are not punished.