Post by con's fly is open on Jul 15, 2005 17:28:01 GMT 7
China mabs 702,000 in gambling crackdown
Thursday, July 14, 2005 Updated at 11:27 AM EDT
Associated Press
Beijing — Chinese police have detained more than 702,000 people, including 1,617 government officials, since the beginning of the year in a countrywide crackdown on gambling, officials said Thursday.
The report by the official Xinhua news agency was the latest in a string of updates on the gambling crackdown launched in January. Communist leaders say that gambling is fuelling official corruption, organized crime and other ills.
According to the Chinese Ministry of Public Security, 1,479 of the suspects have so far been given prison sentences and 5,115 were being re-educated through labour, and 105,000 remained in detention, Xinhua said.
It did not say give the fate of the nearly 600,000 other suspects.
Xinhua, without providing details, said 1,617 government officials were among the gambling suspects, including 47 section chiefs or heads of government departments.
The government has publicized a series of cases of gamblers arrested for using money embezzled from the government or their companies.
In the six-month crackdown, Chinese police seized 2.33 billion yuan (the equivalent of some $335-million Canadian), as well as 77,000 computers and video game players used for gambling, it said.
China has also appealed to neighbouring countries such as Russia, North Korea and Myanmar to close casinos along their borders that try to attract Chinese gamblers.
Thursday, July 14, 2005 Updated at 11:27 AM EDT
Associated Press
Beijing — Chinese police have detained more than 702,000 people, including 1,617 government officials, since the beginning of the year in a countrywide crackdown on gambling, officials said Thursday.
The report by the official Xinhua news agency was the latest in a string of updates on the gambling crackdown launched in January. Communist leaders say that gambling is fuelling official corruption, organized crime and other ills.
According to the Chinese Ministry of Public Security, 1,479 of the suspects have so far been given prison sentences and 5,115 were being re-educated through labour, and 105,000 remained in detention, Xinhua said.
It did not say give the fate of the nearly 600,000 other suspects.
Xinhua, without providing details, said 1,617 government officials were among the gambling suspects, including 47 section chiefs or heads of government departments.
The government has publicized a series of cases of gamblers arrested for using money embezzled from the government or their companies.
In the six-month crackdown, Chinese police seized 2.33 billion yuan (the equivalent of some $335-million Canadian), as well as 77,000 computers and video game players used for gambling, it said.
China has also appealed to neighbouring countries such as Russia, North Korea and Myanmar to close casinos along their borders that try to attract Chinese gamblers.
