(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-05-23 14:44

BEIJING -- Four officials in Dujiangyan of southwest China's Sichuan province were punished for neglecting their duties during the disaster relief, said Li Chengyun, vice governor of Sichuan, on Friday.

He said that all those officials who failed to observe their duties will be punished.

Three of the officials were removed from their posts, including the former civil affairs official of the city, according to Monday's "Guangzhou Daily" website.  The details of the fourth official is still unknown.

The provincial government sent 12 supervision teams to the quake-hit areas, and 96 cases involving illegal market activities were uncovered.

Li also vowed to severely punish those who misappropriated rescue tents, which are urgently needed for sheltering five million homeless quake victims.

Social stability is also a major concern for the Sichuan Provincial Government, which has reinforced security guard on banks and department stores.

Radios, TV, Internet, and mobile text messages were also used to spread the latest information on aftershocks so as to reduce the chances of panic due to misinformation, he said.