Official fired for mother's lavish funeral

BEIJING (Reuters) - A Chinese official has been sacked from his Communist Party post and demoted for putting on an over-lavish funeral for his mother, state media said on Tuesday.

Xie Pingfa, former director of a highway administration in the southern province of Guangdong, was punished for violating Party rules on "self-discipline and integrity for officials and cadres," the China Daily said.

China is in the middle of a crackdown on official corruption, which the ruling Communists say is so widespread it could threaten the Party's survival.

Xie organized more than 1,000 people, including eight officials and staff members of the highway administration, to attend his mother's funeral in November, according to a report of the Guangdong provincial discipline watchdog.

"Xie and his siblings erected a stage more than 20 meters high for people to pay their tributes and employed a 20-member band to perform music during the funeral procession," the China Daily said.

Xie also hosted a banquet with more than 100 tables and accepted gifts of money from guests after the ceremony, the newspaper said.

The extravagant funeral caused a stir among local residents and the Guangdong provincial discipline watchdog decided to remove Xie of his post because the case had "negatively affected the community."

(Reporting by Beijing newsroom; Editing by Nick Macfie and Sanjeev Miglani)