China, which this week warned officials they would be punished for covering up pollution, has detained after he sent text messages telling people of a new case of water pollution, media reported on Thursday.
Zhou Qinghai was detained by police for “reporting faulty alarms and making chaos” in Mudanjiang in northeastern Heilongjiang province, the scene of the country’s worst water pollution in recent years after an explosion at a chemical pant in November in neighbouring Jilin.
Zhou sent text messages warning people of a possible water cutoff for three or four days after he overheard people talking on a bus about the contamination of the city water source and saw reports by local media questioning the quality of water, the Beijing News said.
He was detained this week, the newspaper said, without saying if he would be charged or giving other details.
The “faulty information” had caused “bad social influence”, and city residents had been rushing to buy and store water since Monday after an unidentified pollutant was found in the water supply.
Xinhua news agency later identified it as a fungus caused by industrial waste.
Every time I want to congratulate China for a reform, like forbidding officials to cover up pollution, I get brought back to reality, where I need to face the fact that the “reform” was nothing more than a PR announcement dreamed up by some hack in a dreary Beijing office.
1
By Stuart
It would appear that looking good at the expense of integrity is alive and well in this land of illusion; how reassuring.
February 26, 2006 @ 2:56 am | Comment
2
By Raj
One step forwards, one step back.
February 26, 2006 @ 5:24 am | Comment
3
By ACB
Not so long ago, a guy was thrown in jail for revealing that a city was in the of a dengi outbreak.
At the time, the city officials were trying to cover it up because there was about to be an international industrial conference there and they didn’t want to loose business, so they condemed dozens of people to agonizing cases of dengi fever instead.
February 26, 2006 @ 8:03 am | Comment
4
By The Useless Tree
If They Can Admonish, Can We Remonstrate?
Why do I think this will not work?The Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee has set up a mechanism of supervision based on admonishment as an intensified step to keep its officials upright, honest and incorruptible. The General
February 26, 2006 @ 7:09 pm | Comment
5
By Chairman Yao
This is very unfortunate – I think even the most ardent supporters of the CCP will admit to this problem. But no one has talked about any kind of solution to this –
If China’s from Beijing on down leaders were confident enough with their leadership; implementing such changes would be possible without fear of backlash *within* the party.
If there was more value placed on the individual leaders – more could be done to initiate change for the better.
Any suggestions for the CCP?!
February 26, 2006 @ 8:04 pm | Comment
6
By Skystreaker
It’s simple. You need balance of power, checks and balances. But many of the fellow commies here despise this idea. And until then, the CCP, although with people with good intentions, will still be unable to deliver anything near what a “benevolent dictatorship” could offer, and yet keep us above “cannibalism.”
February 26, 2006 @ 11:41 pm | Comment