39 village leaders sacked for crime links

The heads of 39 villages in the southern Chinese province of Guangdong were removed from office and put under investigation in the first eight months of the year for suspected involvement in mafia-style gangs.

A People's Daily report published on Monday quoted Guangdong authorities as saying elections to replace the dismissed village Party chiefs and village committee directors were completed last month.

Police have busted a large number of violent gangs that used to be active in rural areas in a grassroots-level anti-triad campaign across the province since the beginning of this year.