The website of a prominent Beijing-based business newspaper was shut down for 'maintenance' yesterday, two days after it carried a sensitive report on the political shake-up in Chongqing .
Eeo.com.cn, website of the Economic Observer, was not accessible yesterday, giving rise to intense online speculation that government publicity organs had ordered its suspension following a report on Monday about the downfall of a top district Communist Party official in the southwestern municipality.
The weekly Economic Observer was established in 2001 and is operated by Shandong Sanlian Group.
When asked to comment on the case, Wang Lei , a senior editorial staff member at the newspaper, said: 'The suspension of the website is simply a technical problem, which has nothing to do with the report. Anyway, we will definitely try to restore the service as soon as possible.'
However, a source close to the matter said the closure of the website was due to the report about the downfall of Xia Zeliang, the former party boss of Chongqing's Nanan district. The report said Xia was the first prefectural-level official to be sacked following the dismissal of former Chongqing party secretary Bo Xilai on March 15 and his replacement by Vice-Premier Zhang Dejiang .
On March 14, Premier Wen Jiabao ordered Chongqing authorities to seriously reflect upon and learn lessons from the defection attempt by Wang Lijun, formerly Chongqing's police chief, in February. Another source said that a string of officials in Chongqing were likely to be implicated in the political turmoil triggered by Wang.