Four men were recently charged in a court in Hubei Province for their roles in creating and spreading the worst cyber worm virus in China's Internet history.

Li Jun, the 25-year-old principal offender, allegedly developed the Xiongmao Shaoxiang (panda burning joss stick) cyber bug, officially called worm.whboy, and spread it on the Internet by infecting Websites. He said he wrote the panda worm for fun, but according to the police, Li earlier confessed to selling it to 12 clients and earning more than 100,000 yuan ($12,500) for his efforts.

The virus infects program files and flashes a picture of a panda holding three joss sticks. It can also steal account names and passwords of online game players and users of IM softwares, such as QQ.

Apart from the arrest of Li and his three partners, the police also detained another seven hackers in connection with spreading the virus. It is the first time authorities have made arrests involving a major Internet virus that originated in China.

China's Criminal Law states that any person who writes or spreads malicious softwares that result in "huge losses" will face at least five years' imprisonment.

While Li has been officially charged as a criminal, some businesses felt they could use his services and surprisingly offered him a range of job opportunities, one of which is worth as much as 1 million yuan (nearly $140,000) annually. The controversial employment recruitment campaign created a mini-revolt on China's online communities.

Those who support the companies' offers believe that although Li did do something wrong, he has since realized his mistake, apologized and, according to prosecutors, written a program to kill his evil worm as atonement. So it's necessary to offer him opportunities and an environment to fully tap his potential. He could, they say, be invaluable in the security of the national Internet network. There also exists the fear that if Li is not "kept close" and looked after, he may develop a grudge against society and use his obviously abundant talent to cause further cyber chaos.

People opposed to these job offers believe the companies bidding for Li are merely using this case as a PR stunt to gain free publicity. Added to this, is the danger of this case leading to copycat worm developers, who may see Li's possible landing of a high-paying job as the signal to jump on the bandwagon and infect the Internet further.

Hard and soft

Shu Shengxiang (Kunming Evening News): The fairness of law is reflected in the fact that it never fails to bring criminals to justice and also, it only imposes punishment that meets the crime. In Li Jun's case, the sentence must not be made tougher because of public hatred.

As far as Li is concerned, the four years' imprisonment is punishment, while the lucrative job offers are confirmation of his technical skills. The two issues do not contradict each other. We cannot exempt someone from punishment because of his high capabilities, nor can we abandon someone because he has once done something wrong.

Of course, whether the companies are playing up Li's case to gain publicity, or whether Li is really that much of an asset still needs to be determined, but the key is that society should show tolerance toward those who have done wrong, so as to help them rehabilitate themselves.

Wang Junrong (Guangzhou Daily): It's true that Li Jun has done harm to the public, but this does not mean he will always be a bad guy. The court sentenced him to four years in prison. When he is released, he will be free to enjoy a normal life and have a well-paid job.

Everyone is likely to make mistakes. According to a company that invited Li to work as its technical advisor, by doing so, it hopes to guide Li along the correct road and create a favorable environment for him to tap his full capabilities. Everyone deserves a second chance after they have paid their debt to society. Society's refusal to treat ex-convicts equally has driven many back to crime.

It's possible that the companies' job offers are only in it for self-promotion. But I choose to believe Li's willingness to improve his behavior and also in the company's good intention.

We need to treat those who have committed wrong fairly by showing them tolerance. To be too tough on them will cause more harm than good. This is an important point we can learn from Li's case.

Wang Jie (www.zjol.com.cn): In the past, it was believed that once one had committed a crime, it would never be easy for him to resume a normal life. Nevertheless, people's attitude toward "tainted" people has greatly changed. No matter how serious the crime is, as long as you have the skills, there will be opportunities for you when you are freed from prison. This tolerance has made life easier for released prisoners.

Therefore, Li Jun's popularity in the job market gives hope to other criminals. Anyone willing to change their behavior and make a positive contribution will be embraced by society. By offering Li a job, it is also an effective way of preventing him from committing crimes in the future.

Deng Qingbo (Shanghai Youth Daily): Although Li Jun has breached the law by writing the panda worm, he has expressed his remorse and apologized to the public, and also has been punished