Published on ShanghaiDaily.com (http://www.shanghaidaily.com/)
http://www.shanghaidaily.com/sp/article/2008/200811/20081105/article_379461.htm
Official's tale: Parisian pain in the neck
Created: 2008-11-5
Author:Li Xinran
A HIGH-RANKING district official who reportedly went AWOL in Paris while on a government business trip was simply seeking medical treatment, the Luwan District government said yesterday.
Xin Weimin, deputy district director, returned to Shanghai on Saturday to continue treatment for problems with his neck vertebrae, according to the district's publicity department. Xin is on sick leave and hasn't gone to work, the department said yesterday.
The publicity officers said Xin suffered neck discomfort during his trip to France, so he chose to seek help from a local medical service.
The department didn't know which hospital he visited in France, however.
Earlier media reports about Xin's disappearance said that he had never been linked to bribery or other misdeeds, and the department would not comment on published reports that Xin may have been involved in an affair.
Xin's delegation was due to return to Shanghai on October 15. His colleagues became suspicious when he failed to show up for a breakfast in Paris on October 14.
Other delegation members asked the hotel staff to open his room, only to find a note left by Xin, saying he was out meeting friends.
He never contacted the group before it returned to China.
Xin is in charge of a wide range of Luwan government issues including population, education, health, culture, as well as women and youth rights, according to the district's Website.
Xin Weimin, deputy district director, returned to Shanghai on Saturday to continue treatment for problems with his neck vertebrae, according to the district's publicity department. Xin is on sick leave and hasn't gone to work, the department said yesterday.
The publicity officers said Xin suffered neck discomfort during his trip to France, so he chose to seek help from a local medical service.
The department didn't know which hospital he visited in France, however.
Earlier media reports about Xin's disappearance said that he had never been linked to bribery or other misdeeds, and the department would not comment on published reports that Xin may have been involved in an affair.
Xin's delegation was due to return to Shanghai on October 15. His colleagues became suspicious when he failed to show up for a breakfast in Paris on October 14.
Other delegation members asked the hotel staff to open his room, only to find a note left by Xin, saying he was out meeting friends.
He never contacted the group before it returned to China.
Xin is in charge of a wide range of Luwan government issues including population, education, health, culture, as well as women and youth rights, according to the district's Website.
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