An official who is responsible for migrants in Weinan, Shaanxi Province, accused local officials this week of retaliating against him after he openly criticized them for misusing public funds.

Li Wanming, chairman of the labor union at the local migrant bureau, made the accusation after Beijing-based writer Xie Chaoping wrote a book about residents who were forced to relocate.

The book accused bureau bigwigs of embezzling funds intended for residents who had to move because of the decades-old Sanmenxia reservoir project. The writer was arrested for "illegal trading" August 19.

Li started collecting materials in 1992 about the alleged misappropriation of funds, and wrote a complaint letter to the local government.

Li told the Global Times he was detained in 2006 after he wrote an article in the Worker's Daily about his concerns. "I was arrested for 22 days in the name of 'organizing illegal gathering' as I distributed hundreds of copies of the paper," he said.

Li said he continued speaking out afterwards and he provided an 187,000- word report to Xie.

Xie's book described how the residents were forced to leave their lands in Weinan for the reservoir. Xie paid 50,000 yuan ($7,340) to Flash Magazine to publish the book.

Hua Huimin, director of Weinan press and publication bureau, told Nanfang Metropolis News that the book was ruled an illegal publication by the provincial press and publication bureau. One of the cases cited in Li's report involved the migrant bureau's investment of 9 million yuan ($1.3 million) in a mineral water company in 1992, but the company went bankrupt after two years.

"I am not afraid for my safety because there are 600,000 migrants who support me and consider me their spokesman and I'm determined to continue reporting the misuse of migrant funds," Li said.

The Weinan Public Security Bureau and its Linwei district branch bureau could not be reached for comment.