Outpouring of sympathy online for sacked official in quake zone

The toppling of Communist Party officials is often met with schadenfreude, but the sacking of a deputy township chief in quake-hit Lushan county has sparked a rare public outcry.

Yang Chengyi, 47, was removed from his post at in Qingyuan township on Wednesday for being absent from a relief work site at Hengxi village, making him the first official to lose his job in the wake of Saturday's magnitude 7 earthquake.

But Yang's removal attracted sympathy from the public, including villagers and his colleagues.

They contended that the deputy chief was only away from his post when party disciplinary inspectors arrived because he was busy allocating relief materials in remote areas.

Internet users applauded Yang's down-to-earth working style, saying that officials like him should be promoted, not sacked.

Many wryly noted that doing nothing had become the common practice for party cadres.