Xinjiang officials punished for dereliction of duty

Fifteen officials from Kashgar in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region have been punished for discipline violations such as dereliction of duty, instigation of ethnic hatred and disregard of Communist Party of China regulations on its members' religious beliefs, Xinhua News Agency reported on Tuesday.

One official was removed from the post after being warned several times about ignoring the CPC's guideline that Party members and government officials should not believe in religion or take part in any form of religious activities, said Aniwar Turson, the city's mayor, during a meeting of local officials on Monday.

Another official was investigated by police for having e-books with illegal religious content, while a police officer was expelled for forwarding video clips promoting ethnic hatred, and spreading false information that undermines ethnic unity via social media, he announced.