BEIJING - MISHANDLE a protest and you may be fired.

Beijing has issued this tough warning to Chinese officials, spelling out their accountability to the public in what might be the most comprehensive regulations to date.

Seen by observers as Beijing's response to the mounting number of mass protests in various parts of the country, the 26-point document issued through the Xinhua state news agency on Sunday night takes immediate effect.

The new regulations state that government and Chinese Communist Party officials can be sacked for abuse of power; 'incorrect handling of group protests or accidents'; allowing a spate of serious accidents to occur because of dereliction of duty, or for other forms of misconduct that harm national interests.

Officials who fall foul of the regulations will face the court if their misconduct is found to be criminal, the document stated.

And those who interfere with investigations of their own misdeeds, who cover up evidence or take revenge on whistleblowers, will face even harsher punishment, Xinhua said.

A separate regulation issued yesterday said that heads of state-owned enterprises who violate company procedures will also be taken to task.

While Beijing has been relatively quick to punish corrupt officials in recent years, it has of late broadened its focus to institutionalising a system of 'wen ze', or accountability to the public.

A rising tide of mass protests - often sparked by local officials' mishandling of a small, everyday incident - signals a steady erosion of public trust which Beijing knows must be arrested, observers noted.

Last year, the government dealt with more than 100,000 'mass incidents' of civil unrest. Data for this year has not been released, but news reports on mass clashes between people and local government officials abound.

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

simcy@sph.com.sg