Hackers blamed for rude replies on website

The administration of a Jiangxi mountain famous as one of the birthplaces of Taoism says its website has been hacked.

Many rude replies have been posted to nearby residents' queries and complaints since at least July.

The Unesco World Heritage-listed Longhu Mountain has been in the spotlight recently after internet users found insensitive and downright rude replies on the website of the resort's management committee.

All previous content has now been deleted.

The website carries just one statement, dated Sunday, saying 'after an initial investigation, we declare our website has been hacked'.

A story on people.com.cn, the website of the Communist Party mouthpiece People's Daily, said when someone from Chenjia village complained in July that village cadres had misappropriated 10,000 yuan (HK$12,200) in subsidies for rural infrastructure projects and used the money for gambling, the website's reply was: 'It's necessary to gamble. Everybody needs entertainment.

'It's a good thing to squander the state's money. If [he] loses the game, it's the government that has lost the money.'

The Shandong Business Daily reported another post on the dangers of shoddily built 'tofu projects'.

The reply was: 'Tofu is my favourite food.'

When some people complained primary school pupils had been inconvenienced by the merging of several schools, the reply was: 'If you think the situation is chaotic, ask the students not to go to school.'

'Bull***t' was the answer to a resident who said the one-child policy was unscientific and that it was not reasonable to demand that pregnant women obtain government certificates approving delivery.

The reply on the website went on to say: 'Bribe me with money and I will help you get the certificate.'

A statement issued by the management committee on Sunday said the responses were not 'normal practice' and it was conducting further investigations and upgrading the website's security.

The management committee did not return phone calls yesterday.