Senior Official in Petition Bureau Said to Commit Suicide in Office

(Beijing) – A senior official who oversees a bureau that handles complaints the public makes against the government killed himself in his office on April 8, a source close to the department said.

The official was named Xu Yean and was deputy director of the State Bureau for Letters and Calls, the source said.

The bureau accepts petitions and complaints that people all over China file against government departments. Common grievances involve land seized by the government and problems with social security matters.