Shaanxi ID thief fired from govt education job

A government employee who was exposed for stealing the identity of a school classmate in northwestern China 20 years ago has been fired, Xinhua News Agency reported on Saturday.

Authorities in Shaanxi province have punished Li Min along with her mother, a middle school principal and several officials who either aided the deception or failed to spot it.

Investigations by disciplinary and supervisory commissions in Sanyuan county found that Li's mother, surnamed Wen, wanted her daughter to attend a vocational school in September 1998, but the girl did not qualify.