Dozens in China Fight Demolition Plans

Residents of Hexi village in Qingdao's Sifang district were told their homes would be torn down Friday although dozens have yet to sign compensation agreements with the local government, which plans to build new apartments on the site, said Yuan Bendu, a local farmer whose house was torn down last month.

The standoff echoed an incident in south China's Chongqing city last month, when developers tore down the home of a couple who had fought eviction for three years. In that case, the residents and developer reached a settlement, and the family left willingly.

Yuan said that he and his neighbors clashed with plainclothes police on March 16 and April 27 that came to protect construction workers as they tore down five houses in the area.

Some residents tried to stop the demolition by standing on the roofs of their single-story homes and throwing bricks at the workers, he said. Four farmers were arrested and remain in detention, he said.

He said the area's 932 households were offered compensation of $420 per square meter, which was well below the market value of about $900 per square meter.

Qingdao, a popular coastal resort city, is undergoing a massive construction boom fueled by its being named host of the sailing events for the 2008 Olympic Games.

Most of the households in Hexi accepted the compensation package because of pressure and threats, Yuan said, but 82 families have refused to budge.

He said they would try to "hold back" authorities on Friday but would not give specific details about their plans.

"Our lighting and water facilities have been sabotaged by thugs and robbery and theft cases are happening all the time," Yuan said.

Yuan's lawyer, Li Subin of Beijing's Yitong law firm, said the group tried to file a law suit against the Sifang District Government on April 23 but that the Qingdao Intermediate Court refused to accept the case.

An administrative officer with the Sifang government said Thursday he was unsure about the situation in Hexi and referred calls to the local redevelopment office, where the phone rang unanswered. Like many Chinese officials, he refused to give his name.

Property disputes and illegal land grabs have accelerated recently as China's economy expands at double-digit rates and farmland is gobbled up for industrial parks and skyscrapers. Government officials often have sided with developers, touching off riots and protests.