Thirty-three officials have been removed from their Party or government posts and 62 given disciplinary warnings for failing to prevent some brick kiln owners in Shanxi Province from using people, including children, as forced laborers.

The scandal broke out early last month, shocking the public and the senior Communist Part of China (CPC) leaders alike.

The provincial disciplinary commission of the Communist Party of China (CPC) announced the punishments yesterday, charging the supervision and administrative officials with dereliction of duty.