16/12/2011 / CHINA
People here are pretty angry. We want our land back, and we want the authorities to give us Xue Jinbo’s body. We’re also very scared that the police might enter the village at night and begin arresting people. There’s already been some beatings. We’re frightened because our future is very uncertain”.
Cut off from the world, Chinese village refuses to back down in land dispute
Outrage over the death of Xue Jinbo, a villager from the small fishing town of Wukan in China’s southeastern Guangdong province, has turned a longstanding land dispute with authorities into an unheard-of, nearly week-long standoff between locals and police. According to our Observer in Wukan, residents are frightened but unwilling to give in to the local government’s demands.
Trouble in Wukan began in September after local authorities attempted to seize local land and sell it to a property developer. Infuriated by the move, hundreds of demonstrators went on a rampage, overturning police vehicles and storming local government buildings.
In a bid to ease simmering tensions between Wukan’s residents and local authorities, the village was allowed to appoint 13 representatives to mediate negotiations over the land sale. Xue was among those chosen to speak on behalf of the village.
The situation escalated again on Sunday, December 11, after Wukan’s residents drove out local officials upon hearing that Xue had died while in police custody. Xue and four other of the village’s chosen representatives were detained by local authorities the Friday before on charges of fomenting September’s uprising. Authorities maintain that Xue died from cardiac arrest, although many in the village believe that he was killed by his interrogators.
Police immediately attempted to stamp out protests and have maintained a cordon sealing off Wukan from the outside world since Sunday.
Villagers have draped Wukan with dozens of banners carrying protest slogans such as, “We want our land back”, “Fight corruption”, and even appeals to journalists to report the story in the international media.
Following news of Xue Jinbo's death, villagers built a structure to house a shrine in his memory. Dressed in traditional funeral garb, locals burn incense and mourn before his portrait.
Wukan villagers hold a funeral ceremony in Xue's honour. They burn fake money, a miniature house and a model of a Mercedes car to ensure Xue will have those luxuries in heaven. Photos courtesy of FRANCE 24’s correspondent in Wukan, Baptiste Favelloz.
Contributors
Chen W. (not his real name) is a resident in Wukan.
The police have blocked off all the main roads leading into the village and have cut off access to the sea, so getting food is very difficult. Right now, we’re eating from our stores. We are also getting some food from the surrounding towns. Relatives and neighbouring villagers use small paths to sneak food into Wukan. We share with those who don’t have enough to eat, but we don’t know how much longer we can hold out.
The local authorities are demanding that we agree to sign a contract selling our land. They’ve also asked the villagers to voluntarily go down to the police security bureau and confess their crimes in exchange for a cash reward. They’re doing this for two reasons – to stop the protests and also to use Wukan as an example. They want other villages in the region to know that they will be rewarded for complying with the authorities. No one in the village is going to do it, there’s too much solidarity. We don’t feel that we have committed any crimes, we haven’t done anything wrong. [According to media reports, some villagers have already defected.]
Comments
the arab spring is coming
Submitted by stan catts (not verified) on Thu, 05/01/2012 - 23:22.It,s amazing isn,t it,that people are allowed to stand over others.In China they do it with guns and imprisonment.Yep,oppose a corupt society that favours the few,and what do you get ...imprisonment/a bullet.Dosn,t sound like socialism does it?Infact it,s not when i think about it.Libiya was toppled and what did they find....well one gentlemen who was jailed for 15yrs because he ,"didn,t inform on his neighbour"How sad.He obviously watch or heard some one rumbling about someone talking about bad government practises at the time.
lets all stand up for human rights.
stan
Socialism? You must be an
Submitted by Captain Obvious (not verified) on Thu, 12/01/2012 - 18:49.Socialism? You must be an idealist with your head in the clouds or your head up your arse. That sounds exactly like Socialism to me. Socialism has become a dirty word because Socialism has ALWAYS been Marxism in disguise. And LIBYA??? Ghaddafi was killed without trial. Is that what you find ideal?
"Socialism"
Submitted by joanmartha (not verified) on Mon, 16/01/2012 - 16:38.It sounds like fascism to me: government and business hand in hand to steal the resources of people who they think don't have the power to fight back. You sound like somebody who is knee-jerk reacting to a code word.