So far more than 7,000 officials have withdrawn their investment in mines amid a nationwide crackdown.

The Ministry of Land and Resources (MLR) said yesterday that 2,325 people, either government officials or company officials in state-owned enterprises, have retracted stakes in non-coal mines, among whom 707 faced criminal liabilities.

Earlier statistics from the Ministry of Supervision showed that nearly 5,000 officials have taken their investment out of coal mines.

Forcing officials to withdraw investment in mines is widely regarded as an important step to curb frequent mine accidents. Investigation showed that a large number of accidents occurred because unlawful and unsafe mines were given the green light to operate by local governments after officials obtained stakes in the mines.

(Xinhua News Agency January 21, 2006)