Associates of disgraced PLA general Xu Caihou may have been purged for 'disloyalty'
Two generals tied to top PLA officer Xu Caihou have been moved from their posts, possibly for failing to pledge allegiance to Xi Jinping
The fate of two major generals linked to a high-ranking PLA officer under investigation for corruption are in doubt amid a reshuffle of personnel that suggests disloyal officers are being purged, analysts say.
Recent changes in the senior ranks have taken place in the Lanzhou and Shenyang military commands, the power bases of Xu Caihou. Xu is a former vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission.
In one recent case, Major General Xu Yuanlin, the former political department director of the Lanzhou Military Command, was replaced by Lieutenant General Zhou Weimin, who attended a Martyrs' Day commemoration in Gansu on Sunday, the Gansu Daily reported .
No mainland media organisations have reported the whereabouts of Xu Yuanlin or his new post so far. Just three months ago, he was reported to have succeeded Lieutenant General Fan Changmi as head of ideological education for Lanzhou sol diers.
On Friday, state media reported that Major General Gao Guanghui , who commanded the 16th Army Corps at the Shenyang military command, was replaced by Major General Tan Min , the former commander of the 26th Army Corps at the Jinan military command. Gao's new position is also unclear.
"There are three possible consequences for Xu and Gao - forced retirement, assisting the investigation of Xu Caihou or undergoing shuanggui, as they were all promoted by Xu," a retired PLA colonel told the South China Morning Post on condition of anonymity . Shuanggui is an internal disciplinary process for party members, especially those suspected of graft.