Ironic as it seems to be, the bulletproof vest has been and probably remains to be a loyal comrade of the Party secretary of Lianjiang County of east China's Fujian Province, where subtropical wind blows all year round over this tiny place in the coastal province.

"The bulletproof vest has accompanied me for six years," Huang Jin'gao, the Party secretary of Lianjiang County, disclosed in an open letter.

He has long known the potential risks in battling against corruption, but he never gives up.

In his open letter he sent to the website of People's Daily dated August 8, 2004, Huang said he is investigating a corruption case in which his predecessor, as Huang claims, colluded with local businessmen in eroding state-owned property. It is estimated that some 68 million yuan (US$8.3 million) of state property were lost in this case.

According to the open letter published by the website August 11, during the reconstruction of a local Binjiang Road project and several other projects, the nepotic former secretary, who had been bribed by the bidders, remised the county land at an outrageous low price without any public assessment. These projects, together with others, led to the loss of state assets valued at 68 million yuan, he said in the letter.

This is not the first time Huang exposed corruption to the light of the day, nor was he on the list of the wanted men by gangsterdom.

He was a key fighter in the investigation of the notorious "Pig Case" when he served as the director in the treasury committee six years ago in Fuzhou, the capital city of Fujian Province. The case involved pig-slaughtering practices against state laws and regulations.

With great efforts and determination, Huang helped capture the principal criminals as well as their followers. Some 20 cadres working in the civil judiciary and related system received tough punishments due to their involvement in the case.

At the time Huang enjoyed warm applause from the people, but he also made himself an assassination target by the local gangsters and those corrupted officials protecting these gangsters.

"I have got altogether 26 letters and telephone calls that threatened my life during the investigation of the 'Pig Case'," Huang said. For his safety, "as many as nine security guards" were assigned to his house to protect him.

For his safety, he was transferred to work as the Party secretary of Lianjiang County in 2002, and he was even arranged to live in the army barracks. But he soon found that he was in the battle against corruption again, in Lianjiang, when he learned the corruption practices in the county.

"At first I really don't want to be involved again in such affairs, indeed, for I'm tired of wearing the bullet-proof vest every day," Huang wrote his open letter. "But as a communist official, I ought to perform my duties, that is, to be a real representative of people, to confront the corruption!"

Huang soon initiated a team to investigate the corruption case. They have discovered that apart from the huge property loss, 700-plus local residents' housing interests have also been infringed upon due to the investor's impropriation of the land.

It is no easy task. Though over 10 million yuan has been replevied, far more funds are still lost. Due to the inefficiency of the judiciary work and the intervention of the gangsterdom, the principal criminal remains at large. Huang still has a long way to go on the road of anti-corruption.

"I have made up my mind to fight till the end. All the schemes must get straightened out, even at the cost of my life," Huang declared.

The Regulations on Inner-Party Supervision of the Communist Party of China and the Regulations on the Punishment for the Discipline Violation of the Party have been promulgated and implemented in February 2004. These regulations should help punish those corrupt officials, but Huang still feels puzzled: What is it so difficulty for a Party secretary to investigate and punish corruption cases in his own county?

(Chinadaily.com.cn August 13, 2004)