Briefly

109th Mekong River joint patrol begins

Law-enforcement authorities from China, Laos, Myanmar and Thailand joined forces on Tuesday for the 109th Mekong River joint patrol. Three Chinese vessels departed Tuesday morning from Guanlei Port in Yunnan province for the four-day patrol, the provincial public security bureau said. During the patrol, the joint law-enforcement team will crack down on cross-border crimes, including illegal immigration, drug smuggling, and criminal activity related to telecommunication and internet fraud in the Mekong River Basin, the bureau said. China, Laos, Myanmar and Thailand have been carrying out joint patrols in the river since December 2011.

Ex-senior provincial official expelled

Wang Like, a former senior Party official in Jiangsu province, has been expelled from the Communist Party of China and dismissed from public office over serious Party discipline violations, serious duty-related malfeasance, and suspected bribery crimes. Wang had been a member of the Standing Committee of the Jiangsu Provincial Committee of the CPC. An investigation had revealed Wang's wrongdoings, including dishonesty and disloyalty to the Party, total disregard of political principles, political speculation for seeking personal promotion, violation of the CPC's code of conduct, selling official posts, and conniving with relatives seeking personal gains by taking advantage of his powers, the national disciplinary watchdogs said on Wednesday.

Secondary vocational schools scrutinized

China will implement stricter regulations on secondary vocational schools in student enrollment, financial aid and student status management, the Ministry of Education said on Wednesday. A circular issued by the ministry requires checks of the qualifications of secondary vocational schools across the country, and the establishment of an annual inspection system. Branch schools or teaching centers of secondary vocational schools set up without the approval of educational administrative departments will be deprived of their admission qualifications, it said.

Xinhua