BEIJING, KOMPAS.com – Four people have died in a homemade bomb explosion at a village government office in southern China, in a rare social protest in the country.
A 59-year-old man is suspected of being responsible for the explosive device. The perpetrator also died in the explosion, according to local police on their official Weibo account.
Five people were also reported injured in the blast.
The incident took place near the southern city of Guangzhou on Monday morning (22/3/2021) in the small village of Mingjing.
The village, which is inhabited by about 3,000 residents, is included in a major property redevelopment project, which requires relocation of local residents.
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A video shared on the Jiemian news site showed a destroyed office, with blood splattered on the walls and at least two people motionless on the ground.
Local media said the explosion took place at the office of the village committee, which decides matters related to land use.
Guangzhou Daily officials reported giving 270 hectares of land to a developer in Shanghai last year to rebuild the old village so it could attract tourists.
The eight billion yuan (Rp.17.7 trillion) project involves relocating farmers who are on the land.
Several people who claim to live near the area have made comments online, saying the attack was sparked by a dispute over compensation.
AFP unable to independently verify that the two are related.
Also read: The Explosion at the Chinese Government Office Allegedly the Act of Furious Citizens
It is unclear how many families will be relocated for the project.
Farmers in “Bamboo Curtain Country” have faced forced evictions and illegal land grabbing for decades, as the country races towards urbanization.
This often causes social unrest.
Local governments have taken land from one million to five million agricultural workers each year between 2005 and 2015.
Land grabbing often violates national land use laws, with little or no compensation, according to a study by the University of Hong Kong.
In a sweeping overhaul of its property law last year, China gave judges greater freedom to decide the matter.
Beijing also limited the influence of local officials, and the courts ultimately remained in favor of the Communist Party.
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