If officials can cover up deaths from typhoon, they may do worse

A RECENT NEWS LEAK said 38 people had been found dead after Typhoon Damrey hit the Xiuyan Man autonomous county of Anshan in Northeast China's Liaoning province, on Aug 4, 2012. However, the county government reported that only five people were killed, with three others missing. Southern Metropolis Daily commented on Tuesday:

After a letter was received listing the names of those that died, some reporters went to Xiuyan to verify the exact death toll, and found that as the letter said 38 people had been killed in the floods caused by the typhoon.

The county government intentionally covered up the true number - going so far as to pay the families of the deceased not to say anything - because it might lead to further investigation by the higher authority and expose their poor performance in flood prevention, control and rescue.