Society
Villagers kneel to petition against corruption
By Zhang Jiawei (chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2010-04-21 14:18
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 Villagers gather and go down on their knees in front of the Zhuanghe city government building on April 13 in Northeast China's Liaoning province, to report to the mayor issues about village officials’ corruption. [Photo/ Rednet.cn] |
A throng of villagers in Zhuanghe city of Northeast China's Liaoning province went down on their knees in front of the city's government building on April 13 to ask that the government investigate village officials' corruption, Rednet.cn reported Wednesday.
The city government confirmed Tuesday that there were villagers in front of the government building on April 13 and that they were handling the villagers' request, but declined to elaborate.
"More than 1,000 villagers went to the city government building on April 13, trying to meet the mayor to tell him about our village leaders' corruption," said Sun Zhihong, a villager from the city's Longwangmiao village who was chosen to be head of the petition.
Sun said the corruption issue they want to make known to the mayor was that the village officials are suspected of embezzling public funds, taking bribes and neglecting their duty in a land reclamation project and in the compensation for land requisitions.
"We waited a long time, but no officials came out from the government building to meet us, so we had to go down on our knees in front of the building," Sun said. "But the mayor never came out to meet us."
The website said reporters' calls to the Longwangmiao village party committee were not answered.
