The Ministry of Transport announced on Monday that a local official in Shenzhen had been sacked over drunken behavior in public.

Lin Jiaxiang, former Communist Party chief and deputy director of the Shenzhen Maritime Safety Administration, was removed from his posts after apparently drinking to the point where he lost control in public last Wednesday night.

The ministry will conduct further investigations before imposing any punishment.

Photos and video clips of the incident have turned up online and drawn strong public condemnation. The images ostensibly show Lin attempting to force an underage girl into the men's restroom after getting drunk in a seafood restaurant in Shenzhen. The girl managed to escape.

(Xinhua News Agency November 3, 2008)