CHINA—Mid-September and conflicts have flared up again in Liangjiajie Village, Xi'an City, in northeast China. Since the end of April, the majority of villagers have refused to sign unfair house demolition and relocation contracts. As a result many conflicts have taken place where the local government hired thugs to beat villagers, causing one death and many injuries. Fourteen other villages in the same area face similar problems.
Since April 26, 2006, local governments have used the construction of the No.3 Xi'an city east ring road as an excuse to force villagers to sign unfair contracts for house demolition and relocation. Despite the refusal of the majority of the villagers, local governments have hired rural workers from other areas and forcibly started demolition. They destroyed one wall of villager Jin Changnian’s home without his consent, and when his family tried to stop them, over 50 thugs proceeded to beat them with nail-spiked clubs.
During the conflict, Jin Zhonghua was beaten to death and five other villagers were severely injured.
According to the villagers, after Jin’s death, local authorities forced his relatives to sign a false death certificate with 160,000 yuan compensation (approximately $20,240). Later, local newspapers reported that Jin had suddenly fainted during the conflict and that this was the cause of his death.
