300 Chinese officials caught in sauna during working hours

BEIJING - About 300 government officials in China’s Shanxi province were caught while enjoying a sauna or a foot massage during working hours.

As many as 296 officials face punishment for visiting entertainment venues during the working day, the provincial discipline inspection authorities said, China Daily reported Tuesday.

The Shanxi provincial disciplinary body and the police jointly carried out four undercover raids on about 1,900 venues, such as tea houses, saunas and bars, across the province since August, officials said Sunday.

Among those who violated work discipline, 79 officials have already been punished, including the removal of 14 from their posts. The remaining 217 officials have yet to be dealt with according to the relevant procedures, the report said.

In a single undercover operation in Xinzhou city, six officials were discovered to have used government cars to go to the sauna or have a foot massage Aug 20.