Evictions in Wuxi

What is affected

	Housing private
	Land Private

Type of violation

Forced eviction
Demolition/destruction
Dispossession/confiscation

Date

15 December 2008

Region

A [ Asia ]

Country

China

Location

Wuxi, Jiangsu Province

Affected persons

	Total 15
	Men 0
	Women 0
	Children 0

Proposed solution

Details

Development

Forced eviction

Costs

Demolition/destruction

Housing losses

- Number of homes

- Total value €

Duty holder(s) /responsible party(ies)

State

Brief narrative

From article: Jiangsu Demolitions Spark Clashes 2008-12-23 Radio Free Asia ...Meanwhile, residents of Wuxi, also in Jiangsu, said the authorities there mobilized several hundred people last week to forcefully evict several families from their homes in Zhaoxia New Village. They demolished homes and injured protesters, residents said. The homes of Ma Chengzhong, Fan Gaozhong, and Ren Jingqiang were demolished by a team including municipal law enforcement officers, or chengguan, police SWAT team members, and hired muscle, according to one of the evictees. Our doors and windows were smashed, and about a dozen people carrying batons broke into my home, evictee Fan Gaozhong said. They sprayed some kind of gas which had a sharp smell. They carried us out and beat us up. I had three cuts on my head and had a bruise on my leg. Fan said the men wore the uniform of chengguan. The eviction team leader, surnamed Niu, initially admitted to being the team leader, then denied it when the RFA reporter`s identity was made clear. Ma Chengzhong, another evictee, was severely beaten and hospitalized with head injuries. He was unable to give an interview, although he answered his phone from his hospital bed. All three residents were forced to sign an eviction agreement. Fan Gaozhong inherited the house from his ancestors and possesses the title deed as well as the complete set of property rights documents. But he said what he would receive in return was a so-called economy home which had no title deed. Common occurrence More than a dozen people broke into my house, he said. At least you ought to identify yourselves. You can`t just smash the doors and windows without speaking a single word to me. Residents who were beaten during the forced eviction reported the incident to the Jiangsu Provincial Public Security Bureau and the Ministry of Public Security, but no one ever answered their calls, he said. Another Wuxi resident surnamed Ma said he and a dozen others had been injured, with three still hospitalized. They used force to demolish our houses. Some people have been beaten up, too, Ma said. They had about 400 people, mostly chengguan. I was beaten up and fainted at the scene. The officials said nothing and smashed our doors. When they rushed into the house, they just started beating people up. Four of them ran into my house and my eyes are still swollen. My head was hit. A chengguan official, contacted by telephone, confirmed the demolitions but said she knew nothing about beatings. Forced eviction is becoming increasingly common across China, even in cases where local residents hold full paperwork entitling them to ownership and residence in their property. The central government last year passed a law aimed at upholding private property rights. But local officials and their business partners wield too much power, including controlling local law enforcement personnel, for it to have much effect, evictees say. Hu Daqiu and some of his family members in Yuegezhuang village in Beijing`s Fengtai district have moved onto the roof of their home and threatened to commit suicide should they be evicted. They sent several removal trucks over here. We can`t leave our house now, otherwise it will be torn down, he said from the roof of his home. Hu Daqiu said the family had not accepted the compensation offered by the property developer. We understand that life is precious, but since we can`t protect our house, we`d rather die along with our house, he said. The compensation is inadequate, and there is nothing we can buy with that money, he said.

Costs

€ 0

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