Why did the land requisition conflict lead to such a horrific clash?

    Illegal detention of personnel, throwing homemade Molotov cocktails…… The details of this conflict that took place in Jinning County, Yunnan Province, are shocking and have aroused strong attention from all sectors. In addition to the horrific nature of the incident, topics surrounding the project's land requisition and demolition compensation have also drawn widespread attention, and the lessons of the incident are thought-provoking. Yet the relevant doubts surrounding this incident still await clarification.

Official notice: horrific case characterized as violent illegal criminal acts

According to a notice from the Information Office of the Kunming Municipal Government, on October 14, 2014, in Jincheng Town, Jinning County, a mass emergency incident occurred in which personnel from the construction side of the local Pan-Asia Industrial Products Trade and Logistics Center project and some villagers of Fuyou Village engaged in violent illegal criminal acts triggered by a dispute, resulting in the serious consequences of 8 deaths and 18 injuries.

A preliminary investigation by the public security authorities found that some villagers of Fuyou Village in Jincheng Town, Jinning County, had long-standing disputes with the construction side over issues related to the Pan-Asia Industrial Products Trade and Logistics Center project, causing the project to stall since mid-May of this year.

According to the notice, on October 14, nearly 1,000 people from the project construction side entered the site to resume construction. That day, 8 construction-side personnel who were eating breakfast in Fuyou Village were illegally detained by villagers, taken into the village, bound hand and foot, beaten, doused with gasoline, and then dragged to a road near the project construction site outside the village. Afterwards, more than 100 villagers armed with weapons rushed toward the construction site, and several hundred armed personnel in uniform whom the construction side had organized in advance clashed briefly and fiercely with the villagers. During this process, villagers threw homemade Molotov cocktails at the other side and ignited the gasoline on the detained personnel, while construction-side personnel also fought the villagers with weapons, and the mutual fighting at the scene caused heavy casualties. Among them, 6 people from the construction side died (4 of whom were personnel illegally detained by villagers, all with burn marks), and 2 villagers died, with a total of 18 people injured on both sides.

The notice said that the public security authorities have now filed a case in accordance with the law and are conducting a comprehensive investigation into the circumstances of the case with respect to both the construction side and the villagers. For those who organize, carry out, or actively participate in illegal criminal activities, no matter who is involved, the public security authorities will strictly pursue their legal responsibility in accordance with the law.

Village developments: atmosphere still tense, villagers hope their rights and interests will be protected

At 13:45 on the 16th, the reporter visited Fuyou Village again. Although the scene of everyone in the village holding wooden sticks and hoes and remaining vigilant at all times on the night of the 14th was no longer visible, the atmosphere in the village still felt very oppressive and tense.

Seeing the reporter visit again, some villagers were still emotional. Villager Li Yan (pseudonym) told the reporter that the two deceased were still placed at the village committee, and that villagers had hardly dared to sleep these past two days. In the courtyard of the Fuyou Village Committee, the reporter saw dozens of people gathered, and the bodies of the two deceased were still placed indoors.

Villager Zhang Fang (pseudonym) told the reporter that some villagers had reported the local land requisition problem to higher authorities more than once. The accumulated problems caused the conflict to escalate continuously, ultimately leading to the tragedy. As for how the incident will develop next, the villagers hope the truth will be determined as soon as possible and hope those responsible will be severely punished.

As for the core issue——land, the villagers said that because of the land requisition compensation issue, local villagers and the project developer had always been in conflict. From land requisition to construction, they had never formally signed a land requisition compensation agreement for this project. The developer initially promised compensation of 120,000 yuan per mu, but it became 43,000 yuan per person, and many villagers refused. The villagers hope the relevant departments will give an explanation for the project's land requisition issue and disclose the relevant information.

At around 15:30 on the 16th, when the reporter left Fuyou Village and passed around the construction site of the Jincheng Pan-Asia Industrial Products Trade and Logistics Center, the reporter saw that a main traffic road outside the project command center had been blocked.

Public opinion attention: many questions remain and need timely clarification

At present, various handling efforts are being advanced, but the reasons and lessons behind the incident are thought-provoking. At present, public opinion still has many questions regarding issues such as land requisition and demolition compensation, which urgently need to be clarified in a timely manner by the relevant parties so as to give the public an authoritative response.

The Jincheng Pan-Asia Industrial Products Trade and Logistics Center, planned for 152 hectares with a land area of 2,285 mu, is one of the Pan-Asia comprehensive trade and logistics centers that Kunming City has planned and developed as a key project. The Pan-Asia Industrial Products Trade and Logistics Center has a very large investment scale. Are the approval procedures complete? Do the relevant development and construction parties have full qualifications? According to the plan, the project occupies a considerable area and will inevitably require land requisition. So what was the entire land requisition process like?

Based on the official notice and the villagers' accounts, on the morning of that day the villagers had already illegally detained 8 construction workers, and a fierce clash subsequently occurred, not dispersing until the afternoon. As for the measures to comfort and handle the aftermath for the families of the deceased, the injured and their families, the people of Fuyou Village, and relevant personnel of the construction side, these depend on further investigation by official and public security departments as well as timely and comprehensive information disclosure. The reporter will continue to follow this.