The disciplinary departments have penalized a city mayor in south China and a number of other officials for gambling, according to a press conference held Friday afternoon.

Deng Yaohua, former deputy secretary of the Zhaoqing City Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and mayor of Zhaoqing in Guangdong Province, has been removed from his post in the CPC and expelled from the party. His executive post is being dealt with in due legal procedure, according to the press conference, jointly held by the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection of the CPC and the Chinese Ministry of Supervision.

According to the press conference, Deng made several gambling trips abroad from 2001 to March 2004.

Wu Huali, former director of the Public Security Bureau of Huizhou in Guangdong, has been removed from his post for frequently going abroad on funded gambling trips from January 2002 to March 2004. Further investigation into his case continues.

Yu Changliang, an official of the Housing Resettlement Office of Jinan in east China's Shandong Province, has been expelled from the CPC and removed from his office. The case has been handed over to the judicial departments.

Yu was found to have embezzled public money and borrowed from businesses, individuals and financial institutions amounting to 5.6 million yuan (approximately US$674,700) to gamble and repay debts incurred in gambling.

The press conference also mentioned penalties of two other officials for their involvement in gambling, namely Cheng Hong, former deputy director of the personnel and education department of the Postal Service Bureau of Jintan City, Jiangsu Province and Wang Furong, former director of a grain supply center in Rongcheng County, Hebei Province. Both of them embezzled public money to participate in gambling activities.

China started to strengthen crackdown on gambling activities from 2004. Liu Xirong, deputy secretary of the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, called on the CPC members to fully realize the importance of this campaign.

"Spread of such activities induce a few party members and government functionaries to become corrupt, take bribes and embezzle public money," Liu said at the press conference. "It will infringe upon the interests of the state and the people, impair the image of the party and the government and corrupt the political and social atmosphere."

He called on various levels of party committees, government and disciplinary organs to strengthen investigation and penalties of gambling party members and government officials. In addition, an effective mechanism should be established to prevent them from participating in gambling.

(Xinhua News Agency January 29, 2005)