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Lingshui Airport Sealed Off, Western Journalists Swarm In
Lingshui Airport is located in southeast Hainan, some 200 kilometers away from Haikou, capital of Hainan Province. It is not far off from the sea, spotting in beautiful tropical scenery. A reserve airport for Hainan air unit, it is not so big, tucked away among villages and rice fields and looks like in the middle of a sea of green waves amidst wind caresses.
At ordinary times one can only see soldiers at routine military drills and farmers laboring in their fields. It would have remained long in obscurity without the air collision between China and the US. But recently its tranquility broke and Lingshui Airport leapt into the spotlight.
Western journalists were in no time found on Hainan and descended in flocks. With cameras on they hope to have first-hand videos and photos from the surrounding areas. Some of them are bewildered by "several military planes parking on the apron while military helicopters took off and landed frequently" through telescope installed in high places.
No Hong Kong journalists want to bring up the rear. Taking their language advantage they entered houses of local farmers, wishing to draw them out on information about the airport as well as their own opinion on the collision.
The airport has been heavily guarded to ensure the safety of US spy plane lying languidly in the airport and orderly progression of after-math work. In the area under the airport's administration, a tight cordon has been thrown to ward off the footprints of foreign journalists.
While some foreign reporters, maybe feeling too difficult in getting first-hand material, began to invent their irresponsible coverage on the spot, saying "the surrounding 5-kilometer area has been cordoned off", "people without fixed duties are not permitted to go near" and "the atmosphere is tense".
Contrasting these, in the eyes of Global Times reporters, only the area under the airport's administration was sealed off, which was by no means in a 5-kilometers range.
Things are the same as before except giving no entrance to vehicles. Places outside the airport are quiet as ever. Heard on streets of Lingshui County are the same noise and voice of peddlers hawking their wares as before. Even in areas surrounding the airport people's life and work are going in the same way.
By PD Online Staff Li Heng
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