BEIJING, May 14 (Xinhua) -- The power of Chinese netizens as an anti-corruption force has been demonstrated once again as a senior economic policy maker was removed from his post after his alleged indiscretions were reported by a journalist on the Internet.
Liu Tienan, a vice minister in charge of the National Development and Reform Commission, was dismissed for "suspected serious violations of discipline," said a Tuesday statement from the Organization Department of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee.
Two days ago, the Party's top disciplinary watchdog announced it had placed Liu under investigation for the same reason.
Although neither statement provided details, the public believe Liu's sacking had something to do with Luo Changping, a deputy editor of Caijing magazine, who first exposed Liu's "wrongdoing" on the Internet in December.
Luo accused Liu of colluding with a businessman for benefits and falsifying his education background, among other allegations. In a posting on Monday on China's popular Sina Weibo microblogging platform, Luo wrote that he had spent a year verifying and cross-checking the accusations against Liu.
The 58-year-old Liu is not the first official brought down by real-name whistleblowing on the Internet. In another prominent case in November, Lei Zhengfu was dismissed as Party chief of the southwestern Chongqing City's Beibei District after his sex scandal was brought to light on a website by Zhu Ruifeng, an independent investigative journalist.
