Evictions

Posted on 13 March 2010.

Xi Xinzhu doused himself with petrol and set himself on fire in his house in Beijing. He suffered burns to 10% of his body and had to be treated in hospital.

The month before a woman in Chengdu had died after setting herself alight. Both were protesting about the demolition of their homes.

Xi set himself alight when a demolition crew arrived to begin tearing down his home. His brother said, "We tried everything to raise legal questions about this demolition through normal channels, but nobody would do anything, although there are plainly problems. He did this out of helplessness and despair, because the rules are just an excuse to grab land" (Reuters).

Xi's protest was just one of many that have taken place in China where the law allows the authorities to confiscate homes for development projects. Such forced evictions are a key concern there and have frequently led to rioting. "The country has been plagued by the perception that local authorities acquiesce in, and sometimes actively aid, summary land grabs," reports the BBC.

"Residents facing removal have complained that the amount of compensation offered is far below the real value of their homes. They complain officials collude with developers to demand land in the name of public needs, such as roads, and then turn it over to commercial investors who can reap big profits," Reuters explains. "Protests over home and farmland confiscation are one of the nagging threats to social stability facing the ruling Communist Party."

But this year the government has outlined proposed major changes to the way that land can be seized for redevelopment. Using violence and coercion to make people move would be banned and owners would have the opportunity to appeal against evictions. In housing blocks deemed to be old or dangerous - a reason often used for demolition - 90% of homeowners would have to agree before they could be taken down. Anyone losing land or property would have to be given at least its market value in compensation. These draft proposals seem to be "a sign that the government may be seeking to ease growing public rancour" (Reuters).

Pray for those in China who are in despair, having lost their home or land without receiving adequate compensation.

Pray that clear new laws will be passed and implemented to help avoid such forced confiscations taking place in the future.

Pray that local officials will respect the law and comply with its requirements, so that people will no longer feel forced to take such drastic measures to protest the demolition of their homes.