Scandal of the orphanage that had no orphans
By Li Qian |
January 16, 2013, Wednesday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
TWO civil affairs officials have been punished after an orphanage in south China's Guangdong Province was found being used as offices by funeral service and wedding registration administrations instead of housing orphans.
The case came to light after a video was posted online of Huang Jianwei, a funeral service inspector in Jieyang City's Rongcheng District, begging a local monk called Master Shi to "lend" him some abandoned children to make it appear that the government-funded orphanage, which was completed in 1995, was in operation and would thus pass provincial inspections.
Huang Chenhui, an official with the district Civil Affairs Bureau, was seen sitting on a sofa behind Huang Jianwei, Shenzhen Television reported yesterday.
"Our government is strapped for money and unable to run the foster home. However, we had reported to higher authorities that we had one. Therefore, could you please do us a favor and lend us dozens of unwanted children," asked Huang Jianwei, who was said to be working temporarily at the bureau.
Master Shi, who currently looks after 54 children, rejected the request, the video showed.
In an interview with Xinhua news agency, Huang Chenhui put the blame on Huang Jianwei. "He did say 'borrow the orphans,' but his words couldn't represent the district government or the civil affairs bureau. I am sure that I never taught him to say so."
Master Shi started taking in unwanted children in 1996 and has been raising 54 orphans, with the young ones aged only several months and some elders now 30 years old.
Thirty-one of them are living in the temple and others in local villagers' houses, the TV program said.
Some of the unwanted children had congenital conditions.
"It's their (the authorities) business to give up adopting these children, however, it is my responsibility to take them in my care," Master Shi said.
The Rongcheng government apologized for the "borrowing orphans" scandal on Monday, and said Huang Chenhui had been suspended from his post while Lin Xiangbiao, head of the district civil affairs bureau, had been sacked.
The bureau and local police are helping the children obtain residency and monthly living allowances of up to 1,000 yuan (US$160.9) each. Official figures in November showed only 14 out of 115 local orphans had registered residence.
The bureau planned to move the 31 children living in the temple to temporary shelters.
The funeral service team and wedding registration center which occupied the orphanage building have been moved out, and the local government is to invest 1 million yuan (US$160,761) in getting the orphanage up and running in the first half of this year, Shenzhen TV reported.
On January 6, the Ministry of Civil Affairs urged departments across the country to improve management of orphanages after a fire in an unlicensed facility claimed seven lives in central China's Henan Province on January 4.
The case came to light after a video was posted online of Huang Jianwei, a funeral service inspector in Jieyang City's Rongcheng District, begging a local monk called Master Shi to "lend" him some abandoned children to make it appear that the government-funded orphanage, which was completed in 1995, was in operation and would thus pass provincial inspections.
Huang Chenhui, an official with the district Civil Affairs Bureau, was seen sitting on a sofa behind Huang Jianwei, Shenzhen Television reported yesterday.
"Our government is strapped for money and unable to run the foster home. However, we had reported to higher authorities that we had one. Therefore, could you please do us a favor and lend us dozens of unwanted children," asked Huang Jianwei, who was said to be working temporarily at the bureau.
Master Shi, who currently looks after 54 children, rejected the request, the video showed.
In an interview with Xinhua news agency, Huang Chenhui put the blame on Huang Jianwei. "He did say 'borrow the orphans,' but his words couldn't represent the district government or the civil affairs bureau. I am sure that I never taught him to say so."
Master Shi started taking in unwanted children in 1996 and has been raising 54 orphans, with the young ones aged only several months and some elders now 30 years old.
Thirty-one of them are living in the temple and others in local villagers' houses, the TV program said.
Some of the unwanted children had congenital conditions.
"It's their (the authorities) business to give up adopting these children, however, it is my responsibility to take them in my care," Master Shi said.
The Rongcheng government apologized for the "borrowing orphans" scandal on Monday, and said Huang Chenhui had been suspended from his post while Lin Xiangbiao, head of the district civil affairs bureau, had been sacked.
The bureau and local police are helping the children obtain residency and monthly living allowances of up to 1,000 yuan (US$160.9) each. Official figures in November showed only 14 out of 115 local orphans had registered residence.
The bureau planned to move the 31 children living in the temple to temporary shelters.
The funeral service team and wedding registration center which occupied the orphanage building have been moved out, and the local government is to invest 1 million yuan (US$160,761) in getting the orphanage up and running in the first half of this year, Shenzhen TV reported.
On January 6, the Ministry of Civil Affairs urged departments across the country to improve management of orphanages after a fire in an unlicensed facility claimed seven lives in central China's Henan Province on January 4.
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