Village head put on wanted list

(China Daily)
Updated: 2008-09-05 07:35

When Wang Tao embarked on his third term as director of Louzhuang village committee and Party secretary of the village in Lingbi, Anhui province, he never imagined he would soon be a fugitive from justice.

The deputy to the Lingbi county people's congress is now listed as "wanted" on charges of "insulting a local leading cadre", the Beijing News reported Thursday.

Wang is in hiding outside the village, not daring to go out during the day for fear of being detained by the police, according to his relatives.

"Wang is short tempered and loves a drink, but is widely respected in the village," Xuan Chao, a member of Louzhuang village committee was quoted by the paper as saying.

Wang fell from grace on April 25, the day he was re-elected as Party secretary and director of Louzhuang village committee.

He decided at noon to celebrate his victory by getting drunk with other local leaders in the village. He then staggered to the local police bureau.

Wang walked into the office of Zhang Xing, director of the police bureau, flung an arm about his neck and asked him, "Why do you always pick on me?" according to Zhang.

Seeing that Wang was the worse for drink, Zhang told him to take a rest, Zhang was quoted by the newspaper as saying.

"You and Li Xianhong are of the same ilk. You are both flunkies!" was Wang's response.

Zhang restrained his anger because there were a lot of people around, he said.

Wang then headed for Town Party Secretary Li Xianhong's office and, for no apparent reason, threatened to beat him up, Li said.

After Wang left, Li wrote a report on the incident that he handed to a superior department. Zhang Xing, meanwhile, had reported Zhang to the police.

Li said that insulting local leading cadres has a pernicious effect.

"The case needs to be strictly handled, otherwise village affairs cannot be expected to run smoothly in future," Li was quoted as saying.

Lingbi county people's congress passed the proposal to dismiss Wang after two meetings. After that, local police also issued a warrant to detain him.

On July 7, around 200 Louzhuang villagers signed a petition in support of Wang and called for justice. One villager said that the so-called "crime of insulting" was trumped up as a way of punishing Wang Tao.

But the potentially negative influence of Wang's behavior on village life merited making a "criminal case" of the matter. Once reported, it was then a matter for the public security department, Wang Min, a senior officer with Lingbi county's police bureau, said.