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Shanxi governor resigns, acting governor appointed

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-09-14 18:06

TAIYUAN - Meng Xuenong, governor of north China's Shanxi Province, resigned from his post Sunday in the wake of the deadly mud-rock flow that had killed 254 people by Saturday night.

Related readings:  North China mud-rock flow death toll rises to 254  Official dismisses claims of 'hundreds missing' in mud  Hu and Wen urge all-out efforts in rescue operations of mud-rock flow

His resignation was accepted by the 5th session of the Standing Committee of the 11th Shanxi Provincial People's Congress on Sunday afternoon.

Zhang Jianmin, vice governor of Shanxi was removed from his post at the same session.

The provincial people's congress also appointed Wang Jun as the acting and deputy governor.

Wang Jun, 56, was appointed the head of the State Administration of Work Safety in March this year.

Meng Xuenong, born in August 1949, is a native of Penglai, east China's Shandong Province.

He was elected mayor of Beijing in January 2003 and was removed from the post for failing to respond properly to SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) crisis in April the same year. He was appointed deputy director of the Office of the South-to-North Water Diversion Project Construction Committee of the State Council in September 2003.

Meng was appointed deputy secretary of the CPC Shanxi Provincial Committee on August 30, 2007, and was elected vice governor and acting governor of the province on September 3 of the same year.

In January this year, Meng was elected governor of Shanxi at the provincial people's congress.