Officials liable for wetlands violation

Authorities turned a blind eye or took bribes for businessman's development

Sixty-two officials in Hunan province have been held accountable for a businessman's illegal enclosure of a key wetland preserve for business purposes, the province's top discipline watchdog said on Wednesday.

Among those punished were at least seven prefecture-level officials, including Tang Xizhen, deputy head of the Hunan provincial animal husbandry and aquatic authority, and Xie Shoubao, vice-mayor of Yiyang.