Hubei Province, in central China, has expelled 500 people from
the Communist Party of China for defying the "one-child" family
planning policy.
Last year, the province found 93,084 people had additional
children in violation of the policy, including 1,678 officials or
Party members, according to the provincial family planning
commission.
Also identified by the panel were seven national and local law
makers or political advisers. They lost their political status.
Another 395 offenders were dismissed from their posts.
"More Party members, celebrities, and well-off people are
violating the policies in recent years, which has undermined social
equality," said Yang Youwang, director of the commission.
He said a number of cases involving celebrities or officials
were still being investigated and the individuals would be
identified once their situation was verified.
Hubei Province says offenders will be barred from government
employment for three years and cannot hold elective office or be
political advisers.
In a separate case, an official in Tongnan County in western
Chongqing Municipality was sacked after he was found to have a
second child, aged 12.
A survey by the national family planning commission has found
that the majority of wealthy or well-known people had two children
and 10 percent had three.
(Xinhua News Agency January 8, 2008)