Xiaohongmen: the end of Guojia village

konjaku: demolition of Guojia village, which began in 2011-01-13, seems to have reached an ending 2012-04-08. It appears some villagers held out for another year, frustrating the township government.This is unfortunately an example of what might happen when there is no Dawangjing “miracle.”

Beijing –several men surround a woman and beat her for half an hour –then forcibly demolish her home 2012-04-08

http://news.sina.com.cn/s/2012-04-08/022924235836.shtml

Fieldwork reporter Huai Ruogu

Yesterday morning, Chaoyang district Xiaohongmen township Guojia village, a number of men, whose identity was unknown, suddenly broke into two houses of villagers. In each house was a women, whom the men dragged out of each one’s respective house, beating them with fists and kicking them. Soon afterwards the houses were forcibly torn down. Eyewitness recount that even though the victims pleaded, the men surrounded and continued to beat them for half an hour.

According to the villager Mr Sun, at eight in the morning one excavator, one forklift, as well as 40 or 50 men, entered the village. Four well-built men broke into Mrs Sun’s house and dragged her outside. Not long afterwards, there was a loud rumbling sound, and Mrs Sun’s house was pushed over by the excavator.

According to Mrs Sun, at the time she was in her kitchen cutting spring onions, when a number of men burst in, and demanded she move out immediately. “If I leave, where will I go to live? This house is my life!” she refused. When they heard this, the men began kicking and beating her,  and pulled her outside her gate.

Yesterday at noon, the eastern part of Guojia, 10,000 square meters which used to be houses was completely cleared. Two excavators were arranging the piles of bricks. The house of Mrs Sun had been razed to the ground. A Mrs Zhang met with the same experience. Mrs Zhang said, at around 8, several burly men burst into her home, and demanded she move. Meeting resistance, “they suddenly began to hit me on the head, kicked me in the stomach.  Her house was subsequently demolished at around the same time.

Mrs Sun saw Mrs Zhang thrown to the ground by the men. “Although she was in pain and pleaded with them, they did not stop beating her until almost half an hour had passed. This gang did not listen to us as we tried to get them to stop. They just hurled insults at the villagers who tried to mediate.” Mrs Sun said the police soon after hurried to the scene, and the members of the gang ran off in all directions. Mrs Zhang is receiving treatment at the hospital.

Yesterday at noon, Mrs Sun went to the Dongfang hospital emergency room to be examined. Mrs Zhang was there too, lying on a bed groaning. At present both are being treated, their lives are not in danger. Guojia is in the last stage of demolition. Previously there were 68 houses in the village. Now that Mrs Sun’s and Mrs Zhang’s house are gone, there are only three houses not yet demolished.

This reporter repeatedly called the township office to ask about this incident. The person who answered the phone said he would report the matter to his superiors and have an answer this evening. It is now 9 o’clock, and still no response from them. The Xiaohongmen police have started an investigation.