Editorials

Demolition dilemma

(China Daily)
Updated: 2010-06-16 07:37

If a house needs to be demolished for public interest and the compensation paid is in accordance with the State policy and relevant rules, any person resisting it by force would be violating the law.

A man in Wuhan, capital of Hubei province, brandished a homemade gun to stop demolishers from tearing down his house forcibly. The incident took place just a few weeks after the State Council issued a document, asking local governments to demolish structures only through lawful means and after paying reasonable compensation to displaced people and arranging for their rehabilitation.

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The villager, who insisted he was using fireworks, said he took the extreme step after he had read relevant laws and policies and was convinced that he deserved a lot more than the amount offered to him as compensation by the developer.

Once he lost his land he would not be able to eke out a living, he said. He was sure that he had not asked for more than he deserved, and said that he would defend his house until he got justice.

This is a sad story both for the villager and the sanctity of the country's legal system, as well as the reputation of the local government.

If a house needs to be demolished for public interest and the compensation paid is in accordance with the State policy and relevant rules, any person resisting it by force would be violating the law. Otherwise, it would signify that local authorities do not pay heed to the central government's directives, and will create a dangerous situation.

On one hand, it will prompt more people to use arms to stop forcible demolitions if they are sure that the local authorities are not honoring the central government's directives.

On the other, if local officials who have been ignoring the State Council document and going ahead with their demolition plans are not punished they would become even more unscrupulous.

So an investigation is needed to find the truth in this case and punish the guilty.

(China Daily 06/16/2010 page4)