China seized 1.163 million people involved in 313,000 gambling cases in the first three quarters, the Ministry of Public Security said Thursday.

The move was initiated by a call from China's central government in January this year, with the target on civil servants who squandered public money in casinos of neighboring countries.

In the first five months, Chinese police uncovered about 163,000 gambling cases, and seized 2.33 billion yuan (US$288 million) since the crackdown started, the ministry said.

Statistics from the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, from January to October, China punished 8,735 members of the Communist Party of China (CPC) for gambling.

"Cross boarder gambling, especially when played by government officials, could directly undermine the national security and social stability, and tarnish CPC's image," said Liu Xirong, an official with the Discipline Inspection Commission.

Cai Haowen, a former transportation management official in Yanbian city in the northeastern province of Jilin, which borders the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, was sentenced to 17 years in jail in May for embezzling and gambling away 3.18 million yuan (US$384,000) of public money in a foreign casino.

"We have closed 30 agencies for overseas casinos and 19 underground banks so far this year, aiming to scare away frequent visitors of border casinos for illicit gambling," Liu said.

(Xinhua News Agency December 2, 2005)