On October 29th, the official announcement from the Miyun District government in Beijing revealed that Peng Lifeng, director of the Beijing Municipal Agriculture and Rural Bureau, has taken on the role of Party Secretary for the district, while Yu Weiguo has been relieved of his duties as Party Secretary of Miyun District, with his current whereabouts unknown. Analysts believe that Yu Weiguo’s dismissal may be related to the severe flooding in Miyun in July of this year.
According to a report from the Miyun District Committee’s propaganda department’s official WeChat account “Ecological Miyun,” yesterday morning, a district-wide leadership meeting was held in Miyun. The meeting announced the decision of the Beijing Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China to appoint Peng Lifeng as a member, standing committee member, and secretary of the Communist Party of China Miyun District Committee.
Before this appointment, Yu Weiguo served as the Party Secretary of Miyun District in Beijing. “Ecological Miyun” had recently released reports on Yu Weiguo’s activities as Party Secretary, including his inspections of winter heating security measures and visits to elderly veterans before the Double Ninth Festival.
Regarding Yu Weiguo’s current status, when contacted by the Hong Kong newspaper Ming Pao, the Miyun District Committee’s propaganda department responded only by saying, “We need to wait for the official announcement.”
Miyun District is located in the northeast part of Beijing with a total area of 2,229.45 square kilometers, making it the largest district in Beijing. The Miyun Reservoir, the largest artificial lake in North China, is situated in the central part of the district.
From July 23rd to 29th of this year, Beijing experienced extreme heavy rainfall, causing flooding in various areas including Miyun, Huairou, and Pinggu. The flooding led to significant disaster and casualties in Beijing.
During a press conference on July 31st, the Beijing municipal government confirmed that by noon on that day, the total number of deaths due to the disaster in the city had reached 44, with 9 people reported missing or lost contact. Among the casualties, 31 people from a nursing home in Taishitun Town in Miyun District had perished in the flooding.
Former Party Secretary of Miyun District, Yu Weiguo, had acknowledged that the nursing home was located upstream of the Miyun Reservoir, an area not included in the evacuation plan, revealing a loophole in the authorities’ emergency response plan.
However, the authorities did not mention the release of water from the reservoir as a contributing factor to the disaster.
In response to Yu Weiguo’s dismissal, current affairs commentator Li Linyi told Epoch Times that this indicates the Communist Party’s focus on maintaining political stability and internal power struggles when deciding the timing and extent of releasing death toll figures related to natural and man-made disasters. Ultimately, based on internal compromises, some officials may be scapegoated.
For further reading:
– 31 People from a Nursing Home in Miyun Drowned Due to Flooding from the Beijing Reservoir Release
– Heavy Casualties in North China Floods, Survivors Questioning Authorities’ Concealment of Death Toll
– First-Hand Account: Villagers in Hebei Swept Away by Flash Floods
– Beijing Flooding and Human Errors Shake the Political Arena, Trouble for Shandong Faction Leader Yin Li?