Chinese communist veterans call for security chief ouster

In an open letter to President Hu Jintao, published on a number of overseas websites, 16 retired mid-ranking Communist Party officials from the southern province of Yunnan have accused Yongkang of being part of a movement that seeks to revive China of Mao Zedong.

Yongkang, one of China's top nine rulers, was a close ally of the fallen Communist party member Bo Xilai, an aspirant to the top leadership who was party chief of Chongqing, a provincial-level municipality in south-west China.

YongKang, who oversees a budget of USD 111.6 bn this year, has been accused of manipulating the judiciary and police to aid Xilai’s crackdown on organized crime in Chongqing region, that many say have been involved in widespread use of torture.

In April, the party suspended Xilai from its top ranks for corruption allegations and named his wife, Gu Kailai, as a suspect in the murder of a British businessman, Neil Heywood.

Yongkang, expected to retire from the nine-member Standing Committee at the party congress later this year, has already been forced to give up day-to-day control of his portfolio.

However, analysts say the letter is significant as it shows rare political dissent and infighting behind closed doors ahead of Beijing's leadership transition, which will be settled at the party's 18th congress in about five months.

The letter, which is being ignored by the Chinese media, seems to be a political move to toughen the current General Secretary of the Communist Party of China, Hu Jintao stance in the Party’s central committee.