Funny slogans stir debate

"It's New Year. We're purchasing robbery suspects for 3,000 yuan ($440) each," reads a slogan hanging from the gate of the local administration for industry and commerce in Zhangjiajie, Hunan province.

A photograph of the red banner found its way on the Internet and drew a lot of criticism from netizens, who believed authorities were treating criminal suspects "like goods not human beings", local media reported yesterday.

Another similar slogan promises 2,000 yuan to anyone who turns in a burglary suspect.