Wang Zang: Several Opinions Addressed to the Guannan Local Government Regarding the “Drowning Incident” of His Nephew Wang Hao

Guannan County Government, Sankou Township Government, Sanhe Village Committee:

I am Wang Yuwen (pen name: Wang Zang), male, Han Chinese, currently 41 years old, ID number: 532326198508121412. I am the maternal uncle-in-law of the deceased Wang Hao—that is, the husband of Wang Liqin and the elder brother-in-law of Wang Shaowei, the deceased Wang Hao’s father.

On March 12, 2023, my two-year-old nephew Wang Hao died in a small river near his home at No. 27, Group 5, Sanhe Village, Sankou Township, Guannan County, Lianyungang City, Jiangsu Province. It has now been three years and four and a half months since the incident, yet the local government officials and public security organs still have not produced a resolution to this incident that enjoys public support, nor have they provided a fair response to certain requests from the family. The family remains deeply troubled to this day.

I hereby reiterate several requests and opinions on behalf of myself and the family:

I. The family has doubts about the cause of death and demands a reinvestigation into the truth

1. Local police came over the morning after the incident (March 13), checked the surveillance footage, but said, “There’s no way to see the location of the incident; it doesn’t capture that area.” There was also one camera that could completely capture the location where my nephew’s accident occurred, but the police casually said, “There’s no way to play back that video.” Why were the public security officers so perfunctory?

2. The Guannan public security authorities only agreed to let the deceased’s father, Wang Shaowei, view the surveillance video approximately five or six days after the child’s death, and only after international media had taken an interest in the case—and what he was allowed to view was not the complete surveillance video of the incident, but merely an extremely short clip, with suspected editing. Why did the public security authorities act in this manner?

3. Three days before the child’s drowning, the local judicial bureau director, village Party secretary, and women’s director went to my mother-in-law Hou Shuzhen’s home and subjected her to various forms of intimidation and threats over the matter involving Wang Zang and Wang Liqin. Hou Shuzhen retorted, saying, “That is a matter between my daughter and son-in-law. What does it have to do with me?” Why did the child’s misfortune occur immediately after this intimidation and threatening? What connection was there between them?

Because of these doubts, we request that the relevant departments take this matter seriously and conduct a renewed and rigorous investigation into the truth of the incident.

II. The family demands that the relevant leaders be held accountable

1. Even if Wang Hao truly died in a drowning accident, the local village committee and government still bear major, inescapable responsibility: This river is a public waterway, and the village committee and relevant higher-level departments failed to manage it properly. No warning signs or protective measures had been installed at the site of the incident or throughout the extensive surrounding area, and for years there had reportedly been no publicity or education on preventing drowning.

2. At the location in front of Wang Hao’s home where the incident resulting in his death occurred, the local village committee had previously specifically deepened the river channel. Why was it deepened? The village committee has never offered any explanation, either before or after the incident. Why was the area nearby not deepened, and why was the river channel on the opposite side not deepened, while the section directly in front of my mother-in-law Hou Shuzhen’s home—and only the side next to the house—was singled out for deepening?

3. What has caused even greater outrage and bewilderment among the family and people who know of this incident is that, without the oral or written consent of the guardian and family, Pan Yujun, secretary of the Sanhe Village Committee in Sankou Township, personally carried out and directed the illegal and forcible burial of Wang Hao’s body! Who gave him the power to act with such reckless impunity? Even more unacceptable is that, to this day, after many years, the family has not been told where the body was buried! There is another fact that has aroused widespread anger: After international media took an interest in and reported on the matter, Secretary Pan Yujun still, without the family’s consent, personally directed the exhumation and transfer of the body to another burial site, without telling the family where the body had been buried!

According to my visits to the area, many villagers said that Secretary Pan Yujun had considerable power and that, for many years, he alone had acted as the local tyrant and village bully, making all decisions, large and small, including the distribution of subsistence allowances. I ask: Who is his protector? Just how powerful is his protector? I ask: Why have certain officials in Guannan County and Sankou Township acted in violation of the law in such a manner, with such audacity and impunity? Why has the local government shown such disregard for the basic human rights of the guardian and family, treating precious human life and the body as if they were mere grass? What hidden, unspeakable secrets lie behind this?

Whether before or after the incident, several local leaders bear inescapable and undeniable responsibility, and are also suspected of dereliction-of-duty crimes, such as neglect of duty and abuse of power, as well as the crimes of theft, insulting, and intentionally damaging a body, human remains, or cremated remains.

III. The issue of death compensation

The responsibility related to the death of the two-year-old child Wang Hao, as well as the government’s improper handling of the incident, has caused the deceased’s family enormous and irreparable emotional losses and psychological trauma, and has also created heavy financial pressure due to issues including child-rearing and matters left over from the funeral. The author believes that this is a grave matter involving human life and a major issue concerning people’s livelihoods. The government bears a major responsibility to compensate and provide financial assistance to the deceased’s family, and must not cover up the truth, handle the matter hastily, or simply let it fade without resolution.

IV. If the local government does not consider this matter seriously, we will pursue our rights to the end

As a family member of the deceased victim, I sincerely ask the local government to seriously consider the opinions above and provide me and the family with a lawful and reasonable explanation. If it continues to ignore us and merely goes through the motions, I will pursue our rights to the end through at least the following means:

1. Report the problems to the Lianyungang Municipal Government, the Jiangsu Provincial Government, and the Provincial Letters and Calls Bureau, and file complaints with the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection, the National Commission of Supervision, and other departments, while requesting a thorough investigation and that the relevant responsible persons be held accountable;

2. Truthfully expose and publicize online and through domestic and foreign media the various injustices that the local government has inflicted on my mother-in-law’s family over the years, subjecting them to public scrutiny;

3. Publicly report the officials involved under my real name and report the matter to the judicial authorities. If necessary, I will hold banners demanding that the relevant leaders step down.

4. Form a civilian independent investigation team to investigate this incident and the local government’s various egregious actions one by one, while livestreaming and making public to the world the process of pursuing our rights in accordance with the law.

Signature: Wang Yuwen (Wang Zang)

July 27, 2026

Photo one: On July 27, Wang Zang with his mother-in-law and his wife’s younger brother at the Guannan County Government

Photo two: On July 27, Wang Zang with his mother-in-law and his wife’s younger brother after submitting documents at the Guannan County Letters and Calls Bureau

【About Wang Zang】

Wang Zang on Wikipedia: zh.m.wikipedia.org/zh-hans/王藏

Wang Zang on Baidu Baike: baike.baidu.com/item/王藏/2892461

【Appendix: Selected reports by international media on the death of Wang Zang’s nephew Wang Hao】

Radio Free Asia: Poet Wang Zang’s wife’s two-year-old nephew dies Cause of death questioned

www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/renquanfazhi/gf-03152023070654.html

New Tang Dynasty Television: Wang Zang’s two-year-old nephew mysteriously falls into river and dies; family reportedly threatened by Communist Party officials beforehand

www.ntdtv.com/gb/2023/03/13/a103668389.html/amp

The Epoch Times: Wang Zang’s wife’s younger brother’s two-year-old son mysteriously dies after falling into water Family seeks truth but gets no results

Apollο News: Poet Wang Zang’s wife’s two-year-old nephew dies Cause of death questioned

www.aboluowang.com/amp/2023/0315/1877757.html