CHINA — In a move that likely will shock outsiders nearly as much as insiders, police officers from the Hangzhou, Zheijiang province have apologized to a resident that they recently forced to pay a fine. His offense? Looking at racy images on his cell phone.The offending incident took place on a commuter train recently, when a train policeman accosted Tang Shanghai while traveling between Chongqing and Hangzhou. The officer observed that the man was watching a pornographic video stored on his cell phone and fined him $29 for the offense.

Before long, the blogosphere had erupted in outrage and Tang’s situation was known to many who insisted that his privacy had been violated by the officer.

Apparently the railway public security bureau and police force agreed, because representatives traveled to the man’s home in Chongqing in order to offer their apologies and reimburse him for the money he had already spent on the fine.