Shenzhen marine official sacked for molesting child

By Chen Hong (China Daily)
Updated: 2008-11-04 07:31

SHENZHEN -- Lin Jiaxiang, the Party secretary of the Shenzhen marine affairs bureau has been sacked for molesting a young girl while he was drunk, the Xinhua News Agency reported on Monday.

The Party committee of the Ministry of Transport said Lin's "wild words and behavior have had an extremely negative impact on society".

Lin, 58, is accused of grabbing an 11-year-old girl by the throat and trying to force her into the men's toilet of a restaurant.

The sixth-grade student had given him directions to the toilet, local media claimed.

After the attack, she was shaken and unable to go to school, they said.

When the girl's parents complained, Lin shouted at them, claiming he had been sent by the Ministry of Transport, China Daily discovered.

"Do you know who I am? I am from the Ministry of Transport. I rank as high as your mayor. How dare you fight with me," witnesses quoted Lin as saying.

He also admitted his malpractices and challenged the parents: "How much do you want me to pay for it? Just tell me."

The incident was recorded on the restaurant's closed-circuit television.

Police on Monday told China Daily an investigation is under way and hopefully a result will be released within the week.

Police in Nanshan district, where the restaurant is located, issued notifications in the restaurant, looking for witnesses to assist the investigation, Southern Metropolis Daily reported on Monday.

However, nobody witnessed what had happened inside the toilet, it said.

Meanwhile, the angry parents refused to accept an apology or mediation.

"We were insulted. He said he would pay us off, but we don't need the money. We just hope he could receive legal punishment," they were quoted by the newspaper as saying.

The ministry set up a special team to investigate the allegation shortly after the incident, which has triggered concern across the country.

Zhai Jiugang, an official with the investigation team, said at a press briefing on Friday that Lin will face serious penalties if the allegation is found to be true.