Chinese regulators issued a circular on Tuesday in which they promised severe punishment for officials who seek personal advantage or don't fulfill their duties in the massive relief work in the country's worst disaster in decades.

In the circular, China's top anti-graft body, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection of the Communist Party of China, asked its subordinate bodies to swiftly and severely deal with official corruption or malfeasance that significantly hampered progress or caused an extreme waste of supplies.

The circular also urged full transparency in the process of relief supply -- with the establishment of an information releasing system. Information such as the source and destination of relief supplies and their description and quantities should be made public and subject to social and media scrutiny.

Police authorities should crack down on fraud or illegal collection of public donations for quake victims, it added.

Criminal rings in Hunan and Fujian Province had already been cracked after setting up fake donation accounts to quake victims.

(Xinhua News Agency May 21, 2008)