Profiles

A nice man we will pray for

By Zhu Zhe (China Daily)
Updated: 2010-01-16 08:29

Life is full of uncertainty.

This is what came to my mind when I heard on Friday morning that the eight buried Chinese peacekeepers in Haiti include Guo Baoshan, deputy director of the Public Security Ministry's international cooperation bureau.

Guo is among the few ministry officials whom I know, as I have covered the police beat in the past three years. Because of his being buried, I suddenly felt the tragedy in Haiti so close to me.

A nice man we will pray for

Guo, 60, who is in charge of Chinese police's peacekeeping operations abroad, is a very media-friendly official. I first met him in the early spring of 2006 when I asked for an interview about China's police peacekeeping mission.

Unlike many other ministry officials who prefer to hand over written statements to reporters, Guo agreed to a face-to-face interview.

At that time, the ministry's international cooperation bureau had not yet moved to the grand new ministry building next to Tian'anmen Square.

As far as I can remember, the bureau was in a small two- or three-story building. On the appointed day, I arrived earlier than scheduled and an officer asked me to wait in Guo's office.

The room was not big, with an office desk, a chair and a long sofa. Sunlight shined through a window just above the desk.

A few minutes later, Guo rushed into the office. He was in his late 50s, with grizzled hair, but his face showed a rosy complexion, indicating his good health. Guo was also very swift in action.

Guo apologized for being late, and explained he was busy with another meeting. He asked me to sit down and made two cups of tea, one for me, and one for himself.

Then he said: "What would you like to know? I'm open for any question."

The interview lasted about one hour, but it was constantly interrupted by phone calls. Guo seemed to be in charge of the peacekeeping task for quite a long time as he rarely referred to written materials during the talk.

After that interview, I met him several times at ministry meetings or international cooperation missions. He was always nice, but swift in talk and action.

When I heard about the 7.3-magnitude earthquake in Haiti on Jan 13, I first thought about the 125 Chinese peacekeeping anti-riot police officers there.

I tried to call Guo's mobile phone to get some information about Chinese peacekeepers, but could not get through. I never expected at that time, Guo was actually under the rubble in the faraway Caribbean country.

According to the ministry, Guo, with some other officials, left Beijing on Jan 10 for a meeting with United Nations officials on a Chinese peacekeeping mission in Haiti.

However, no one expected the trip might be a one-way journey. Guo is expected to retire soon to enjoy a happy family life.

But it seems that he may have given his life to China's peacekeeping mission.

However, there is still hope for life, and let's pray for him, as well as the other seven Chinese officers who are buried in the rubble.