Chinese media report on official's death, exposing corrupt practices, quickly deleted

Taipei, June 18 (CNA) The drowning death of a 28-year-old civil servant in Dong'an County, Yongzhou City, Hunan Province, China, has exposed long-standing irregularities in the local government, including excessive drinking, gambling, and demands for fraudulent expense claims. A deep-dive report by Chinese media outlet Southern Weekend recently sparked widespread discussion but was quickly deleted from the internet.

Hong Kong's Ming Pao reported today that Southern Weekend's article, titled "The Death of a Township Civil Servant," published on June 15, was rapidly removed, and other platforms also took it down.

The subject of "The Death of a Township Civil Servant" was Wang Linming, a grassroots official in the Hengtang Town government of Dong'an County. On June 30 last year, he drowned while accompanying a deputy party secretary of Hengtang Town on a fishing trip. According to social media conversations between Wang Linming and his friends before his death, Wang, who was not a strong swimmer, viewed this activity as "accompanying the leader fishing."

After the accident, Wang Linming's family received an anonymous tip alleging that Wang Linming had shouldered the workload of multiple people and was under immense mental pressure. Upon reviewing his mobile phone, the family discovered numerous clues of disciplinary violations by the town government's management, prompting them to report the matter.

According to Wang Linming's phone records, a culture of excessive socializing and entertainment was prevalent within the town government. Wang Linming's weight increased dramatically from about 70 kilograms to 90 kilograms in one year. He once told a friend that he had "drunk more in one month at the unit than in the previous 20-plus years."

Wang Linming was also required to arrange "guest meals" (official receptions and private gatherings) for his superiors, with three to four meals a day being common. Records show that the Hengtang Town government's spending on guest meals at four local restaurants surged from over 70,000 yuan in 2022 to nearly 200,000 yuan in 2023. Under his supervisor's instruction, Wang Linming also repeatedly submitted fraudulent expense claims and was interviewed by the county inspection team in April last year.

Officials also gambled frequently. Wang Linming often played cards all night with his supervisor, with accounts reaching 100,000 yuan in a single night. He had accumulated nearly 370,000 yuan in debt from banks. Wang Linming once expressed his helplessness on WeChat, saying, "What can I do if I don't join the clique?" and believed it was a survival rule that "cannot be changed anywhere."

Ming Pao's report quoted public opinion as stating that Wang Linming's death reflects the erosion of young officials by the "clique culture" in some grassroots units of the Chinese bureaucracy. The real cause of Wang Linming's "death" was the unhealthy political ecosystem there, and such malpractice should be rectified. (Editor: Zhou Huiying / Chen Kaiyu) 0618

Stand with facts, your every donation is a force to protect press freedom

Download CNA's "First News" APP for real-time updates

The text, images, and audio on this website may not be reproduced, publicly broadcast, publicly transmitted, or used without authorization.