- State media: Popular Chinese microblogging halt comments section until April 3
- More than 16 websites closed and six people detained for spreading coup rumors
- Comes after shock of the dismissal of China politburo member Bo Xilai
- Last week, China's internet filled with rumors of military vehicles entering Beijing'
Hong Kong (CNN) -- State media is reporting that China's major microblogging sites have suspended comments sections after being "punished for allowing rumors to spread" of a coup attempt in Beijing.
Sina's Weibo and Tencent's QQ -- Chinese versions of Twitter, which is banned in the mainland -- will stop use of comment function on the popular sites to "clean up rumors and other illegal information spread through microbloggings," according to Xinhua.
The comments sections will be disabled until April 3. The microblog sites have "criticized and punished accordingly" by officials in Beijing and Guangdong, state med reported.
Authorities also closed 16 websites and detained six people, Xinhua reported, for allegedly spreading rumors of "military vehicles entering Beijing and something wrong going on in Beijing," a spokesperson for the State Internt Information Office told Xinhua.
An unknown number of people who also reported rumors were "admonished and educated" but "have shown intention to repent," Beijing police told state media.
China's Internet was rife with rumors of an alleged coup attempt last week after the shock dismissal Communist Party politburo member and Chongqing party chief Bo Xilai earlier in the month. Cyberspace discussions on Bo's fate have been censored.
On Weibo last week, bloggers who type in Bo's name, or even his initials BXL and homophones, typically got an automatic reply: "Due to relevant regulations and policies, search results for 'Bo Xilai' are not being displayed."
CNN's Jaime FlorCruz contributed to this article
