Xiamen University prof punished for molesting students

A Xiamen University professor accused of molesting and raping female students has been stripped of his position as an academic adviser for postgraduate students, after a student complaint against him went viral on the Internet over the weekend.

The university has formed a team to look into the case and it vowed "zero tolerance" for any breaches of morality it should find, according to an announcement posted on the university's official Sina Weibo account on Saturday.

Wu Chunming, the history professor, was allegedly involved in harassment and seduction of several female students, some of whom attempted suicide afterwards, according to the first tip-off posted online last month, titled "a must-read for female archaeology students."

The post added that Wu had approached many students on the premise of providing thesis supervision and recommendation for postgraduate or doctorate studies. Wu later defended himself by saying that students are adults, and that no coercion was involved.

The accusations were echoed by in another post by a student on Thursday. The new message, allegedly written by a student victim, came with a picture of a topless man sleeping in bed whom the student claimed was Wu.

The case is latest in a series of female students falling victim to sexual assault by teachers. Legal experts noted that seduction is not a crime if the victim is over 14 years old and does not suffer from any mental incapacities. However, Wu could face administrative punishment should the investigation verify the students' claims.