Three Chinese set themselves ablaze after being evicted

By Joseph Juhn
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

BEIJING, China – Three people in eastern China were in serious condition in hospital on Sunday after they set themselves on fire in protest against forceful eviction by the local government officials, according to reports from Chinese state media.

Instantly after the incident in Jiangxi province, Chinese online reports showed graphic pictures of at least two people engulfed in flames, but it is suspected that many other reports were quickly deleted by government Internet censors.

Pictures showed one person standing on the roof of a residential building entirely engulfed in flames, while another photo showed another person jumping from the building while on fire. The trio remained in life-threatening condition, the report said.

This incident took place on Friday in Fuzhou when Luo Zhifeng, 59, her daughter Zhong Ruqin, 31, and family friend Ye Zhongcheng, 79, set themselves on fire, according to reports from rednet.cn, an official news website based in Hunan province.

The three were reportedly discontent with compensation provided in return for their forced eviction from their homes and neighborhood to make way for a bus terminal.

In recent days, China has witnessed a surge of violent protests over land seizures as local government officials forcibly evict residents to make way for infrastructure projects and property developments, thus causing official discomfort over potential social unrest.

Such incidents began to emerge last year as profit-minded officials and businesses sought to exploit on a nationwide trend of property boom by forcing residents out and developing their land, according to previous reports.

This led to a fatal incident in April, when a Communist Party official in Henan province was detained after he allegedly ordered a truck driver to run over a protester, who died as a result, in a land dispute.

Another case involved a 47-year-old woman who set herself on fire in November in Sichuan province over the planned demolition of her husband’s garment-processing business. She also died 16 days later.

These incidents, in addition to growing public anger over rapidly increasing housing prices, led to the government’s adoption of a series of preventive measures to stabilize the property market.

For more information, please see:

ABC Radio Australia – Three Chinese Set Themselves Ablaze in Property Row – 12 September 2010

Etaiwannews – Three Chinese Set Themselves Ablaze in Property Row – 13 September 2010

Adelaide Now – Three set themselves ablaze in China row – 12 September 2010

Author: Impunity Watch Archive