Shanghai Police Punish 2 People for Spreading Nuclear Radiation Rumors

Two people in Shanghai received administrative penalties for spreading rumors on the Internet, saying radiation from an exploded nuclear plant in Japan had reached Shanghai, a spokesman with the municipal public security bureau said Friday.

A man surnamed Wu made up the hoax and posted it on a social networking site on Tuesday after he saw reports about explosions at Fukushima nuclear plant on the website of the Japanese broadcaster NHK, said the spokesman, adding the rumor was rapidly spread on the Internet.

One of Wu's schoolmates, surnamed Yin, copied the fabricated contents in posts on his microblogging account and chatting groups, which led to further proliferation of the rumor, the spokesman said.

The police official said their behaviors had breached the country's law on administrative penalties for public security.