Xu Yean, deputy chief of petitions office, found hanged in Beijing office
Xu Yean, a senior official of the bureau that handles public grievances, hangs himself at work as graft probe widens at agency
A top official with the State Bureau for Letters and Calls, which handles petitions, committed suicide in his Beijing office, mainland media reported.
Xu Yean, 58, a deputy head of the bureau, was found hanging on Tuesday morning, Caixin Online reported. He was the second high-ranking official to take his own life in the past few weeks. Caixin, quoting sources close to the bureau, said Xu had chronic health problems, suffered from tinnitus, an auditory condition, and appeared depressed in recent months.
The bureau was not available for comment.
A native of central Hubei, where he graduated from university in 1982, Xu worked in the provincial branch of the bureau for decades before relocating to Beijing in 2005. He became the bureau's deputy head in 2011.
Everybody is in the same boat ... Someone in Xu's position is not immune
Xu last appeared in public in an official capacity on March 11, when he took part in a meeting between the bureau's head, Su Xiaoqin and Zhang Xiaoming, director of the central government liaison's office in Hong Kong. He also reportedly took part in a staff meeting at the bureau on March 17.
The bureau is primarily responsible for accepting citizens' petitions. Petitioners have long complained about the bureau's inefficiency and claim it colludes with law enforcement authorities to detain and deport petitioners back to their home provinces.
