Red Cross Society of China to reopen Guo Meimei scandal
Chinese University student makes a plea to the first lady to take over and clean up the society
The national Red Cross Society will reopen an investigation into a scandal that rocked mainland charitable bodies two years ago.
Public confidence in the organisation has plunged, prompting a university student in Hong Kong to post an open letter earlier in the week asking first lady Peng Liyuan to take the reins of the society.
Acknowledging the deep public distrust in the Red Cross, Wang Yong, the spokesman for the society's oversight committee, said it would reopen an investigation into the Guo Meimei saga next month in a bid to repair the image of RCSC, The Beijing News reported.
However, Wang Zhenyao, who sits on oversight committee, said any investigation would be subject to a vote among committee members.
"We've said that we're going to have a new investigation, but what kind of measures will be adopted?" asked Wang Zhenyao, who is the director of the China Philanthropy Research Institute at Beijing Normal University.
We've said that we're going to have a new investigation, but what kind of measures will be adopted?
The letter, posted by a student at Chinese University via microblog this week, came with similar calls for Peng to take over the Red Cross in the wake of the highly publicised Guo saga that began in June 2011 but continues to haunt the organisation.