Thorough cleanup

When the radish is pulled out, so is the soil.

We were seldom surprised when the fall of corrupt officials revealed fraudulent others around them. On the contrary, it is quite unlikely for such abusive characters to be in their element without likeminded colluders.

Still, what happened to the prison administration in central China's Hunan province took us aback. With the head of the local Bureau of Prison Administration (BPA) in "talks" with discipline inspection authorities since May 2009, more than 130 prison officials have reportedly been found to have offered bribes to him.