BEIJING: A Chinese government official accused online of corruptly accumulating 22 houses has stood trial, state media reported yesterday.
Cai Bin, a mid-level official in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou, was accused of receiving 2.75m yuan ($450,000) in bribes, China’s official Xinhua news agency reported.
Cai’s alleged wrongdoing emerged after web users began posting pictures of his properties, some of which are luxury homes, on the Internet, referring to him as “Uncle House.”
Prosecutors suggested Cai should be sentenced to between 11 and 14 years in jail, Xinhua said. Government officials are widely suspected of corruption by Chinese citizens, who have recently been raising pressure on them by posting accusations on popular social networking websites.
Bangkok, Laos to resume talks
BANGKOK: Thailand and Laos will resume talks on border issues next month after suspension for six years.
According to press release from Thai Foreign Ministry, Thailand will host the Thai-Lao Joint Boundary Commission on August 15-16 in Bangkok.
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Surapong Tovichakchaikul will co-chair the meeting with his counterpart Thounloun Sisulit. The two ministers agreed earlier this year to reopen talks.
According to the Bangkok Post yesterday, the two countries share an 800-kilometre border. About 96 percent of the border has been demarcated. “Fixing the boundary will also help us to consider opening more checkpoints between the two countries in the future,” Bangkok Post quoted Surapong as saying. AFP
