[blockquote]
rumours of a coup linked to a major scandal that brought down a top politician.
...
[blockquote]...[
Bo Xilai, [pronounced Beaux Zally] [a charismatic politician in line for a seat at the table of nine] fell into disgrace by asserting red culture which included reading classical red literature, singing classic red songs and incorporated the wisdom of Confucius, Einstein, Shakespeare and Martin Luther King and Michael Jackson. [he was a disruptive influence to the world of grey leaders and an attractive personality to the internet generation]
Among the colorless men who lead China, the handsome 62-year-old was unabashedly Technicolor — equal parts showman and strongman, always keen to show off his pedigree as the son of one of the People’s Republic’s founding fathers. But on March 15, Bo was relieved of his duties as Chongqing’s Communist Party secretary in the biggest political scandal to strike China in years. The apparent purge of a so-called political princeling came months before the nation’s once-a-decade leadership transition in which Bo was to vie for a seat on the nine-person Standing Committee that rules China. Suddenly, the country’s collective leadership was admitting to intense internal rivalries —...][/blockquote]
The crackdown follows a surge in unsubstantiated online rumours about a coup led by security chief Zhou Yongkang, following the March dismissal of rising political star Bo Xilai.
...his [Bo's] former police chief fled to a US consulate and reportedly demanded political asylum,...
[/blockquote]
They also arrested 1065 people and issued warnings to more than 3000 websites. "“Online rumours undermine the morale of the public and if out of control, they will seriously disturb the public order and affect social stability,” said the newspaper, according to Xinhua."
This "coup" appears to be more akin to "The Purge of Sarah Palin" Red Chinese style than a military coup.
