China party mouthpiece laments spoiled generation

BEIJING (AFP) - The mouthpiece of China's ruling Communist Party on Monday lamented a generation who had never tasted "hard work" after the son of a general was detained on suspicion of involvement in a gang rape.

Li Guanfeng, the teenage son of general Li Shuangjiang - a popular military singer and household name in the country - was held last Thursday in the latest allegation against privileged children of officials to spark public outrage.

The news has dominated Internet message boards, online news portals and state-run newspapers in China, where crimes by the offspring of the country's elite cause particular anger among ordinary people.

"Family education" among successful, well-known figures in China needs to be "cautious", said the People's Daily, the ruling party's official organ, in an editorial on the case.