Six officials in earthquake-ravaged Sichuan Province were sacked for dereliction of duty, a provincial disciplinary organ said yesterday, according to Sichuan Daily's Website.

Xiao Rong, the vice director of Dujiangyan City's department of civil affairs, was said to have improperly carried out duties, made careless statistical mistakes after the quake and made errors in reports, the disciplinary department of the Communist Party of China Sichuan Committee told a news conference yesterday afternoon, the report said.

Li Shu, a senior official in Dujiangyan's Archives Bureau, reportedly didn't participate in relief work until 4pm on May 17 even though he received orders from the bureau at 9:30am on May 15, the disciplinary department said.

Liu Dingshuang, the Party chief of a local village, was slow to participate in relief work, yet managed to keep his own convenient store open after the quake, it added.

Gao Wenxue, a community leader of Liujie Town in Dujiangyan, was removed from his post for his reluctance to participate in rescue and relief work.

Jia Guicheng, a CPC Party member of Renhe Town in Sichuan's Mianyang City, received a stern Party disciplinary warning. Jia failed to check an old residence building after the quake as requested and delayed filing important reports, the department said.

Kang Dong, a deputy director of a neighborhood committee in Mianyang's Fucheng District, was also sacked as he was said to have improperly carried out duties in relocation work of poor and disabled residents.

In Sichuan's Guangyuan City, authorities are investigating reports that said some government employees embezzled food that was donated to survivors.

(Shanghai Daily May 29, 2008)