Interpol chief Meng Hongwei vanishes on trip to China
The missing head of Interpol, who vanished after returning to his homeland, is under investigation in China, authorities in Beijing have confirmed.
In a terse one line statement Sunday evening, China’s ruling Communist Party admitted Meng Hongwei, who also holds the position of vice minister of public security in China, was “under investigation by the National Supervision Commission for alleged violations of laws.” [Since Xi Jinping came to power in 2012, well over a million party officials have been disciplined in some way. Xi has implemented a sprawling campaign against graft at all levels of government, military and state industry. Officials under suspicion often disappear into the party’s investigatory body, which can hold them for months without releasing information or providing them with legal counsel.]
Chinese authorities had previously remained tight-lipped about the whereabouts of Meng, following his sudden disappearance last month after he flew from France to China.
Sunday’s statement did not specifically say that Meng had been arrested, or that he remains in China. However, previous suspects who have been described as “under investigation” by the National Supervisory Commission — the ｃountry’s top anti-corruption agency — have often reappeared in the custody of the government at a later date.
[The 64-year-old, who is also a vice-minister at China’s Ministry of Public Security, was “taken away” for questioning by discipline authorities “as soon as he landed in China” last week, a source told the South China Morning Post, a Hong Kong-based newspaper known for its connections inside the Chinese government.
It is not yet clear why Meng is being investigated or exactly where he is being held. Although still listed as a vice-minister on the public security ministry’s website, Meng lost his seat on its Communist Party Committee – its real decision-making body – in April.]
In a separate development, Interpol said it had received Meng’s resignation from the international police agency with “immediate effect” according to statement posted Sunday. It made no mention of the former president’s sudden disappearance or his current whereabouts.
Meng’s disappearance comes just one week after one of China’s best-known actresses, Fan Bingbing, reappeared following a lengthy disappearance, admitting to tax evasion and promising to pay a large fine.
“That China feels so emboldened to disappear even one of its most famous actresses … should be a real wake up call that anyone within China could be next,” human rights advocate Michael Caster wrote for CNN in September.
Meng’s disappearance was first reported to authorities by his wife, Grace, who went to police in Lyon on Thursday, according to the French Interior Ministry. She told police that she last heard from him 10 days prior and had received threats on social media and by telephone, according to the statement.
Speaking to reporters at a hotel in Lyon, France, Grace said that that her last contact with her husband came via a WhatsApp text message with a knife emoji and the instructions, “Wait for my call.”
Interpol had asked Chinese authorities for information about Meng Hongwei. Interpol Secretary General Jurgen Stock said in a statement posted to Twitter on Saturday, “Interpol has requested through official law enforcement channels clarification from China’s authorities on the status of Interpol President Meng Hongwei.”
“Interpol’s General Secretariat looks forward to an official response from China’s authorities to address concerns over the President’s well-being,” the statement continued.
Interpol said Sunday night that South Korea’s Kim Jong Yang, a vice president representing Asia on Interpol’s ｅxecutive committee, would serve as acting president until the organization’s general assembly picks a permanent president next month.
Interpol, or the International Police Criminal Organization, facilitates international police cooperation. It has 192 member ｃountries.
Article Source : https://www.studentnewsdaily.com/daily-news-article/world-1-interpol-chief-meng-hongwei-vanishes-on-trip-to-china/
VOCABULARY WORDS
1. vanish/verb : to disappear from sight, especially quickly; become invisible:
2. alleged/adjective : declared or stated to be as described; asserted / doubtful; suspect; supposed:
3. sprawl/verb : to be stretched or spread out in an unnatural or ungraceful manner:
4. custody/noun : keeping; guardianship; care.
5. evasion/noun : an act or instance of escaping, avoiding, or shirking something:
6. embolden/verb : to make bold or bolder; hearten; encourage.
7. secretariat/noun : the officials or office entrusted with administrative duties, maintaining records,
and overseeing orperforming secretarial duties, especially for an international organization:
Questions
1. For CHINA, give the following information:
- capital
- location/the ｃountries that share its borders
- the religious breakdown of the population
- the type of government
- the chief of state (and head of government if different) If monarch or dictator, since what date has he/she ruled? – include name of heir apparent for monarch
- the population
2. For CHINA:
b) What is Interpol?
c) Why were human rights activists concerned when China’s Meng Hongwei was appointed President of Interpol in 2016?
d) Where is Mr. Meng now? (What happened to him?)
e) Why is Meng’s wife so worried about him?
