The owner of an illegal small coal mine in which 18 miners died
turned out to be a local official who is in charge of coal mining
security, an investigation of a deadly coal mine explosion
revealed.
Peng Guocai, the owner, and his brother, Peng Guicai,
vice-manager of the group that owns the mine, are in custody in
northeast China's Heilongjiang
Province and have been stripped of their Party
memberships.
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On March 14, a gas explosion in Xinfu Coal Mine in Qitaihe trapped
19 miners, resulting in 18 deaths.
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The cause of the tragedy was an obvious lack of basic ventilation
and necessary gas monitoring equipment in the mine, according to
Wang Feng, director of the Heilongjiang Coal Production Safety
Supervision Bureau.
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"They still used primitive coal excavation methods there," Wang
said.
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"The operational excavation area of the mine is like a rat hole and
lacks a basic gas monitoring system."
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However, a more shocking truth began to surface recently as the
investigation went on.
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Peng Guocai, deputy director of the Production Safety Supervision
Bureau in Taoshan District in Qitaihe, was found to be the true
owner of the small local coal mine.
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Although the mine was listed by the Heilongjiang Qitaihe Coal
Industry Clean Coal Group as being state-owned, it was actually
controlled by Peng alone.
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In China, civil servants are forbidden to have their own businesses
apart from their positions in state-owned departments.
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"It is an extreme outrage," Lian Zhandong, deputy director of the
Heilongjiang Supervision Department, told China Daily. "As
an official in charge of production safety, Peng's activity showed
that he deliberately broke the law."
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According to Lian, Peng was also alleged of stealing state-owned
property by illegally excavating coal from a big state-owned mine
that is connected to his mine under the ground.
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Peng Guicai -- Peng Guocai's brother, who was the vice-manager of
the Group -- is also accused of shielding his brother during
numerous mine safety check-ups.
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Also, the total coal reserve of Peng's mine is just 60,000 tons,
which means it should have been closed according to the state's
regulation, Lian said.
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However, with the help of his brother, Peng managed to register his
mine as possessing a reserve of 170,000 tons.
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Peng Guocai was also charged with non-cooperation and trying to
conceal the explosion.
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Qitaihe is one of the most important coal production bases in
Heilongjiang Province.
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Safety problems have been a constant problem haunting local coal
production.
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On May 11, another gas explosion in the city killed nine miners
working underground.
(China Daily May 28, 2005)