Nearly 15,000 "corrupt" communist party members escape abroad
Hong Kong (AsiaNews) Nearly 15,000 Communist Party members fled China or disappeared during the first six months of 2003 in order to escape the new government's fight against corruption, as revealed in a Jan. 29 report in Wen Wei Po, one of Hong Kong's pro-China newspapers.
During the first half of 2003 a total of 6528 members disappeared, while 8371 left the country and 1252 committed suicide.
Most of them hail from Guangdong, one of the country's wealthiest provinces. Most others were residents of Henan and Fujian. On the other hand, Tibet one of the poorest regions recorded the country's lowest rate of suicides and "missing" state workers.
Since last year's elections President Hu Jintao has waged a tough campaign against corrupt party members. Last Jan. 13, the communist party's Central Commission for Control and Discipline approved of new rules to restore order and honesty to the party. According to the new polices, even top level party officials can be checked. Inspections will also occur in remote provinces, and they are guaranteed to be objective and independent.
Party members involved in illegal activities (e.g. sales of state land and property or exploitation of migrant workers) or collaborating with criminals will be subject to punishment, including imprisonment and expulsion from the party. According to some experts, embezzled or stolen capital by way of corruption makes up as much as 14% of the country's gross national product.
Wu Guanzheng, a director of the government's anti-corruption squad said the Communist Party promises "to show no mercy". China, which recently signed the UN Convention Against Transnational Organized Crime, hopes to have four fugitives extradited from abroad and to freeze their bank accounts.
Dr. Mao Shoulong, professor at the School of Public Administration at Renmin (People's) University, doubts government officials who have fled abroad will be subject to extradition. "The impact of international cooperation is extremely limited," he said. "The most efficient way to keep corrupt members from fleeing the country is to remove them from power."
Just how "relentless" the fight against corruption is in China is evidenced by the following case: Sun Xiaohong, former director of the People's High Court of Yunnan, was the first to be expelled from the communist party for having pocketed 10 million yuan. Yet just a few months later he found work as vice-director of Yunnan's Department of Commerce.
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