Follow us on TWITTER: http://twitter.com/cnforbiddennews Like us on FACEBOOK: http://www.facebook.com/chinaforbiddennews The Wenzhou train tragedy is stirring up a political storm. On July 26, the State Council called Railway Minister Sheng Guangzu and other officials in Wenzhou back to Beijing. Analysts say this unusual act may indicate a political storm, and the authorities may remove large numbers of officials, using the case to clean up the "corrupt railway kingdom" that has been controlled by Jiang Zemin's faction. On July 23, a high-speed train from Zhejiang to Wenzhou crashed into a stalled train. Officials blamed natural causes. In the first third of the 72-hour rescue time, officials started to bury train wreckage, destroying the evidence. Analysts say the accident was human error. Hong Kong's Oriental Daily accuses the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) of shoddy railway. It called the accident a "national shame." CCP's propaganda department ordered the media not to send reporters to interview, and websites were not allowed to link with railway sites or make commentaries. Xinhua.net said on July 26 that 39 people died in the accident, while Shanghai's "Oriental TV" announced 63 deaths. Hospital witnesses claim there were about 200 deaths. The high-speed railways are more costly than the Three Gorges Dam. Their construction led to Railway Ministry's debt soaring from RMB 800 billion in 2008 to RMB 1900 billion in 2010. The high-speed rails have been called the CCP's image project. Dr. Li Tianxiao (Columbia University): The CCP wants to add a halo to cover up its illegality, so it aimed for "No. 1" in railway technology and speed. The CCP does not care about the safety measures. Driven by rapid development, it neglected potential problems. CCP replaced the Head of the Shanghai Railway Bureau, Long Jing, with Chief Dispatcher An Lusheng. But An was the one responsible for the 2008 train crash, in which 72 people died and 416 were injured. A netizen blogged, "one wolf is gone, a crueler one comes." Netizens criticize the slow response, and ask for the removal of Railway Minister Sheng Guangzu. When Sheng was promoted in 2008 as a Head of Customs, it was rumored that he was nephew of the ex-CCP leader Jiang Zemin. In February 2011, Sheng became Railway Minister to replaced the corrupt Liu Zhijun. Tang Boqiao (China Peace and Democracy Alliance): The replaced Railway Minister was Jiang Zemin's follower, so with the current accident, someone will be a scapegoat, and this will affect the CCP's power struggle." The Railway Ministry has been rich and powerful. It was an "independent kingdom" with its own police, communication, hospital, school, and legal systems. In 1996, Liu Zhijun, a track repair worker, became Deputy Railway Minister. Jiang promoted him to Railway Party Secretary in 2002 and Railway Minister in 2003. Insiders reveal that Liu followed Jiang everywhere when Jiang took the train, so no mishaps would occur. Liu's brother Liu Zhixiang, Deputy Head of Wuhan Railway and the "biggest ticket scalper in the world," was sentenced to death for hiring guns to kill whistleblowers. Over RMB 30 million was found in Liu Zhixiang's home. Liu Zhijun relied on Jiang Zemin to resist Vice Premier Li Keqiang's reform proposal for transportation ministries. According to Boxun.net, when Liu Zhijun was in office, railway system corruption reached RMB 60 billion through embezzlement, ticket scalping, and elicit commission. About RMB 12 billion was connected to Liu's family. Liu planned to buy the "vice premier" post with RMB 2 billion. Caijing magazine said Liu's mistresses came in at double digits. Many of them were introduced to him by his rich business partner Ding Shumiao. There were also actresses from the TV show "Dream of Red Mansion", in which Ding was a sponsor. Zhang Shuguang, railway general engineer, was also sanctioned . Zhang, behind the high-speed rail technology, transferred US$ 2.8 billion overseas. Vice Railway Minister Wang Zhiguo was suspended. Oriental Daily reported that the Railway Ministry has complicated problems. At the crucial investigation of the Wenzhou accident, railway officials were called back to Beijing. The CCP central office may make big changes in posts. NTD reporters Liu Hui, Li Yuanhan and Zhu Di 《神韵》2011世界巡演新亮点 http://www.ShenYunPerformingArts.org/

• published: 28 Jul 2011
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