Famous Chinese singer Na Ying apologized yesterday, after a message she left on her microblog saying Beijing traffic police cleared traffic so her assistant could fetch her costume ignited outrage among netizens.

Na's apology came after she left a message on her microblog on Sunday evening boasting that the traffic police took her assistant to get her costume. Na was about to perform at a gala for the Beijing Traffic Management Bureau but discovered the assistant hadn't brought the costume just before the show, Yangcheng Evening News reported yesterday.

The message sparked wrath among netizens who accused her of abusing public power. They were especially annoyed by her tone when she said "Isn't this the perfect time to use traffic police?" in the message.

"The fact that you enjoyed privileges for being a celebrity makes me feel angry. How can you be proud of it?" a netizen called Xiao Kai said in reply to Na's post, the report said.

Na posted a second message using vulgar language, which dismissed netizens' criticisms of her. She boasted that police had put several roads under traffic control to ensure she got the costume in time for the show.

Na later deleted the two messages about11pm on Sunday night.

Na said sorry for joking about the incident, adding she accepted netizens' criticism, in a message she posted on Sina.com yesterday.