Chinese officials' sex video scandal sparks public anger

The Chinese public has been left in shock and outrage again after more officials in southwest China's municipality of Chongqing were revealed to be implicated in a sex video scandal.

Ten officials, almost all of them district-level Communist Party of China (CPC) chiefs, governors and executives of state-owned enterprises (SOEs), have been removed from their posts for allegedly appearing in such videos, municipal authorities said late Thursday.

The announcement ended months of online speculation that a number of local officials had been involved in the case.

The scandal emerged in November after a sex video featuring one official later confirmed to be CPC Secretary of Chongqing's Beibei district Lei Zhengfu went viral online.

Lei, the first of nearly a dozen officials to be implicated in the sex scandal, was removed from his post three days after the scandal was exposed.

Police in Chongqing have broken up a criminal ring suspected of using secretly filmed sex videos to extort the officials, local authorities said late Thursday.

The Chongqing Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection found that the ring had hired women to seduce local officials, covertly filmed their sexual acts and used the videos as tools of extortion to get government contracts.

PUBLIC BACKLASH

The implication of more officials in the sex scandal in Chongqing has caused quite a stir on the Internet.

"It's all shame and sorrow for senior CPC officials. It's time to take drastic measures to crack down on similar cases and to restore the public's trust of, and support for, government officials," wrote one user on Sina Weibo, the Chinese equivalent of Twitter.

"The sex video, like a powerful nuclear bomb, brought down ten senior officials from their posts," said another Weibo user.

"The government officials should be locked in a cage of regulations where they would not dare or be willing to turn corrupt. This is the key in tackling corruption. Otherwise, they will continue to become corrupt, one after another," the microblogger added.

Some netizens have even jokingly hailed the young women involved the sex scandal as "national heroes" in the fight against corruption.

ONLINE CORRUPTION-FIGHTING

Many have described the removal of the 10 officials and executives as the latest success in online anti-corruption efforts that have boomed with the rise of social media in China.

The exposure of corrupt officials on popular microblogging sites is becoming an effective tool in fighting corruption.

The expansive reach of social media, combined with a disgruntled public that has become increasingly intolerant of corruption, has resulted in multiple exposures and prompted anti-graft authorities to launch investigations.

More officials have realized that Internet is a major channel for public opinion and an important tool in fighting corruption, said Liu Xiaoying, a professor at the Communication University of China.

The Internet offers a convenient platform for the general public and can drive authorities to crack down on alleged corruption, said Chen Wanzhi, a former top official of the China Democratic League.

The Internet has also led to increased personal attacks and intrusions of privacy, however, leading some experts to call for improved laws and regulations to tackle the root causes of corruption.

POWER IN A CAGE

"When facing various kinds of temptation, officials should keep clear minds," said a local official from Chongqing who declined to be identified.

"When women say they love your charm, they are actually eyeing your power and how much interest you can bring to them,"the official added.

Behind most corrupt officials in China, there are mistresses. In many cases, tip-offs from mistresses have led to official corruption investigations.

Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, vowed Tuesday to unswervingly fight against corruption and keep power reined within a "cage of regulations" while delivering a speech at a plenary session of CPC's Central Commission for Discipline Inspection.

Although government pledges to eliminate corruption have made the public more optimistic, many are setting their sights on the next concrete step in the fight against graft.

"What I care more about is whether the officials will be put under 'shuanggui' (a form of detention used for government officials) and investigated to see if they have committed economic crimes," said a government worker in Chongqing who also declined to be named.

"In that case, it would not only mean the end of their official careers, but could also result in jail terms," the government worker said.