China kicks out member of top legislature

BEIJING, Aug. 29 (Xinhua) -- China's top legislature voted on Friday to remove a deputy to the National People's Congress (NPC).

Song Dexin, former director of Urumqi Railway Bureau, was kicked out of the legislature because he was suspected of committing serious crimes, said the document issued at Friday's closing of the fourth session of the 11th NPC Standing Committee.

Song's removal was proposed by the Standing Committee of the People's Congress of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, from northwest China, on July 31.

The 11th NPC now has 2,986 deputies, who hold a five-year tenure. Members of the NPC cannot be prosecuted, and for any prosecution to go ahead they must first be removed from their post.