Local residents released a video showing the absence and lateness of staff at the Yaozu Township government office in Mianhuaping, Yongzhou City, Hunan Province, which has affected residents’ ability to conduct business. Following this, local law enforcement officers conducted an investigation, leading to two elderly people in a household being scared, with one even attempting to drink pesticide in a suicide attempt. This incident has sparked public outrage and debate, with official announcements from local authorities further raising skepticism among the public, causing the issue to trend online.
On August 18, a netizen named Mr. Pan, under the alias “Yongzhou Dispatch,” shared an incident where he visited the Yaozu Township government office but found the office closed and no staff on duty at 8:45 am, despite the official starting time being 8 am.
According to Poster News, Mr. Pan, who filmed and posted the video, stated that on the evening of August 20, he was visited by four police officers for questioning. Mr. Pan mentioned that he was not at home at the time, and as a result, “the two elderly people in the house were scared, with one attempting to drink pesticide to commit suicide.”
The topic of “Police visit person who exposed the absence of staff during work hours at the township government office, causing elderly family members to consider suicide” gained significant attention and discussion on the internet on August 21.
As reported by Poster News, on August 22, phone calls to the Ningyuan County Public Security Bureau and the Yaozu Township government were met with staff hanging up citing refusal to be interviewed.
An employee at the Ningyuan County government office mentioned that the matter is under investigation and there will be corresponding penalties. He also noted that the individuals involved may have been transferred from their original positions.
Ezlook News reported on August 22 that Mr. Pan, the individual who raised the issue, had been contacted. He explained that his family is from the Mianhuaping Township in Ningyuan County, although they currently reside in another town more than 6 kilometers away.
“On the morning of August 18, I drove my 75-year-old father and 67-year-old mother to the Mianhuaping Township government office for some business. We arrived before 8:15 am, but found the office door closed with no one inside. I entered and saw the main hall on the first floor open but vacant. At 8:19 am, I filmed a video on my phone and went to the attendance registration area, where only five people had signed in. At 8:24 am, a township leader came downstairs, attended to my parents, and called the staff in charge. Later, I contacted the ‘Work Style Office’ of the Ningyuan County Party Committee to file a complaint about this incident.”
Mr. Pan shared that he posted this incident on his social media circle, which caught the attention of journalists and led to interviews and reports on August 20. On the evening of August 22, around 7:38 pm, four police officers visited his home to inquire about the situation.
“At that time, I was not home, but my parents were. I communicated with the police via WeChat, expressing my view that as a resident, I have the right to supervise whether the Yaozu Township government is working on time.”
Mr. Pan expressed that after the police left, he was worried, so he called his father to check on the situation and rushed back home. “As I entered, I found my parents arguing over the visit to the government office. Each held a bottle suspected to be pesticide. I immediately took them away and threw them on the ground. The bottles were labeled ‘DDT,’ and there is still a smell in the house.”
Recalling the situation, Mr. Pan described it as quite frightening, prompting him to make another post on social media. On August 22, the joint investigation team in Ningyuan County reported that the police officers who visited the house wore enforcement recorders throughout and there were no instances of verbal threats or aggressive language.
The incident resurfaced as a trending topic, with netizens expressing skepticism towards the official announcements from local authorities. However, comments on social media discussing the incident were reportedly censored.
One netizen commented following the related reports, “Since there are enforcement recorders, they should release the footage. If there were no threats, then legal actions can be taken against those spreading rumors.”