HONG KONG: Hackers broke into a senior Chinese Cabinet official's computer containing drafts of Premier Wen Jiabao's government work report for this year and copied the report as well as other top-secret documents, according to Chinese sources.

'The documents included comments from Politburo members who wanted to change this or that in the government report. These are regarded as top state secrets, even more sensitive than the government report itself,' a Hong Kong newspaper yesterday cited one source as saying.

The Chinese Communist Party's Politburo is its top decision-making body.

'Mr Wen was said to be furious when told about the case,' the source added.

The hacking was allegedly carried out from Taiwan, this source and another source said, according to the South China Morning Post.

Chinese regulations stipulate that senior officials have at least two computers - one for the Internet, and the other to process sensitive information.

'The fellow violated the regulations by using the sensitive computer to browse websites. As soon as he showed up, guys in Taiwan ... broke into his system,' the first source said.

Both sources said the official, a deputy head of a department too sensitive to be named, was severely punished after secret service agents monitoring Internet data flow detected the hackers as they were downloading the files.

The official has been placed under shuanggui - a party disciplinary measure under which he will be stripped of his government and party posts, said the first source.

The other source said the official was demoted to entry-level rank.

Read the full story in today's edition of The Straits Times.