Beijing, Apr 19: Chinese premier Wen Jiabao has once again promised transparency in its fight against deadly SARS epidemic and warned of "harsh punishment" to local officials who under-reported the infection even as the country recorded one more fatality today raising the country's death toll from the disease to 67. Wen, during a tour of kindergartens, schools and colleges here yesterday, said governments at all levels in the country had to come clean on the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) outbreak.
"Anyone who covers up SARS cases or delays the release of information will be harshly punished as this matter concerns the peoples' health and safety," the leading official English-language newspaper 'China Daily' quoted Wen as saying.
Wen is the second top Chinese leader to pledge transparency to the international community after Chinese President and ruling Communist Party general secretary Hu Jintao made the commitment on Thursday following unprecedented criticism by the World Health Organisation of attempted cover-up by health officials here in the Chinese capital.
Meanwhile, China recorded one more SARS fatality in the southwestern province of Sichuan, raising the country's death toll from the disease to 67, while 48 news cases have been found, state media reported.
The Chinese media also reported 48 new cases of SARS, with majority of the cases coming from northern Shanxi province while Jilin province in the northeast reported its first case.
Bureau Report