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Beijing punishes almost 100 local officials for handling of deadly Henan floods

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Beijing punishes almost 100 local officials for handling of deadly Henan floods
Reuters
January 21, 2022

BEIJING, Jan 21 (Reuters) - Beijing has punished almost 100 officials and company managers for dereliction of duty around catastrophic floods that hit Henan province and killed hundreds of people last July, state news agency Xinhua said on Friday.

Xu Liyi, secretary of the Communist Party Committee in Henan's provincial capital of Zhengzhou, was removed from his post and Zhengzhou vice-mayor Wu Fumin was also dismissed.

They were among 89 local officials punished by the central government for what Beijing called poor handling of the emergency response to the floods, Xinhua said, citing the conclusions of an investigation led by the central government in Beijing.


The government has called the Henan floods the worst since China began keeping meteorological records. From July 17-23, 398 people died or went missing in Henan province, according to the Xinhua report, published on the central government's website on Friday.

“There was a problem of late reporting and concealment in the reporting of disaster information, and negligence... from lower-level party committees, governments and relevant departments," the report said.


Company managers responsible for the construction of Zhengzhou's infrastructure, including a subway line where 14 people drowned, an episode that was widely discussed on Chinese social media, were among 11 people arrested or detained as a result of the central government investigation.

Henan, a populous province double the size of Austria whose capital Zhengzhou is a city of 12 million people, also incurred direct economic losses amounting to 120.6 billion yuan ($19 billion), Xinhua reported.


In China, regional and municipal officials are frequently demoted by the central government in response to the poor handling of manmade and natural disasters.

Officials in the city of Wuhan and Hubei province were similarly punished for the initial outbreak of COVID-19 that killed 4,512 in the province, according to official government statistics.

 
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398 Dead In Henan Flood: Beijing Fires And Sentences Dozens Of Party Leaders, Officials To Managers
22 Jan 2022 06:00

The Chinese government has punished and fired nearly 100 party officials, company officials, and managers for dereliction of duty in the wake of the flood disaster that hit Henan Province and killed hundreds, the Xinhua news agency said on Friday.

Among those removed from office was Xu Liyi, secretary of the Communist Party Committee in the Henan provincial capital, Zhengzhou. For three dollars, Zhengzhou Deputy Mayor Wu Fumin was also dismissed.

They were among 89 local officials convicted by the central government for what Beijing called poor handling of the flood emergency response, Xinhua said, citing the conclusions of a central government-led investigation in Beijing.

The government has called the Henan floods the worst since China started making meteorological records. In the span of July 17-23 2021, 398 people died or went missing in Henan province, according to the Xinhua report, which was published on the central government's website on Friday.

"There are issues of reporting delays and withholding in the reporting of disaster information and omissions from lower-level party committees, government, and relevant departments," the report said, citing Reuters January 21.
banjir henan

A wreath in memory of the victims of the Henan floods at Shakoulu Station. (Wikimedia Commons/Windmemories)

The company manager responsible for the construction of Zhengzhou's infrastructure, including the subway line in which 14 people drowned, an episode widely discussed on Chinese social media, was among 11 people arrested or detained as a result of a central government investigation.

Henan, a province twice the size of Austria whose capital Zhengzhou is a city of 12 million people, also suffered a direct economic loss of 120.6 billion yuan (19 billion US dollars), Xinhua reported.

 
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Of course, officials who neglect their duties should be punished. Malfeasance officials should be punished by law.
If they cannot understand and accept such rules, they should not have chosen to become a civil servant.
 
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8 arrested, 89 punished over central China flood response
Source: Xinhua

2022-01-21 21:46:17


ZHENGZHOU, Jan. 21 (Xinhua) -- Eight company employees have been arrested on suspicion of being responsible for several serious incidents during heavy rainstorms in central China's Henan Province in July 2021, said a statement from local authorities on Friday.

Authorities said public security officers are investigating the eight, some of whom were in charge of subway construction or road construction projects in the city of Zhengzhou, capital of Henan, during the flooding incidents.

In addition, 89 public servants have been punished by the Communist Party of China's discipline inspection commissions and local supervisory organs.

Ren Ligong, head of the city's emergency-management department, is in detention and being investigated by discipline inspection commissions and supervisory agencies on suspicion of serious violations of discipline and law.

Zhao Yunchen, deputy general manager of Zhengzhou Metro Group, and Sun Hongliang, an official with the city's construction project quality supervision organ, are also in detention while investigations are conducted.

The rest 86 government employees have been punished for failing to fulfill their due responsibilities regarding emergency response, water-facility management, city management, transportation, urban and rural construction, public security or other areas. Among them were Zhengzhou's Mayor Hou Hongdang and three deputy mayors.

From July 17 to 23, 2021, heavy rainfall caused intense flooding in multiple cities in Henan, especially in Zhengzhou on July 20. A total of 398 people in the province were killed or went missing in the disaster. ■

 
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A little too harsh. Some of them might have just commited an honest mistake, now they have to say goodbye to their political future and even career. But again, this system of accountability may just be what sets China apart from other countries.
 
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A little too harsh. Some of them might have just commited an honest mistake, now they have to say goodbye to their political future and even career. But again, this system of accountability may just be what sets China apart from other countries.

Those who made honest mistake are likely just fired/demoted. Those arrested are likely those who were criminally negligent or corrupt.
 
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A little too harsh. Some of them might have just commited an honest mistake, now they have to say goodbye to their political future and even career. But again, this system of accountability may just be what sets China apart from other countries.

If it was really harsh, and swift, they would have to send half of all officials to jail every time shit happens.

Instead, they most likely have picked few random ones, in hopes of scaring off the rest enough.
 
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If it was really harsh, and swift, they would have to send half of all officials to jail every time shit happens.

Instead, they most likely have picked few random ones, in hopes of scaring off the rest enough.
How many officials will be sent to jail if similar events happen in US and India? They are also plagued by natural disasters.
 
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Why does it take a tragedy for the central government to push for accountability? Why can’t the central government be more proactive and audit and test these systems beforehand to prevent disasters?
 
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Why does it take a tragedy for the central government to push for accountability? Why can’t the central government be more proactive and audit and test these systems beforehand to prevent disasters?
Which China is, more proactive and responsive to the people's needs than western countries.
 
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If it was really harsh, and swift, they would have to send half of all officials to jail every time shit happens.

Instead, they most likely have picked few random ones, in hopes of scaring off the rest enough.

For what I know, no government official has ever been in trouble, let alone being sent to jail, whenever shit happens in the states, from Katrina to Texas Big Freeze. I know for sure Sen. Ted Cruz would have been sacked if he were a CPC officer.

So what exactly is your point?
 
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Did this so called simple audit stop the flood in Germany last summer? Henan's rainfall was much heavier than the one in Germany. Any German officials were sent to jail?

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Resorting to whataboutry won’t change the fact that the central government lets the local governments be corrupt until a disaster strikes.
 
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