Society

Farmer fatally stabbed in brawl

By Wu Yiyao (China Daily)
Updated: 2010-01-19 07:37

The alleged killing of a villager in Jiangsu province by a group of men hired by a petrochemical company to forcefully occupy the property has thrown the spotlight on disputes involving local farmers and developers over land use in the local community.

Li Dongdong, a 23-year-old farmer in Hewan village, was stabbed to death during a brawl on Jan 7 between local villagers and about 200 men armed with poles and machetes, local media reported.

Another farmer, 21-year-old Li Weinan, was seriously injured in the fight.

A petrochemical company with a plant in the county allegedly sent the men to carry out preliminary surveys, local police said.

The company allegedly acquired land in the village to build facilities, against the wishes of the villagers.

Xici Hutong, a major online forum based in Jiangsu province, displayed several pictures of Hewan villagers' holding banners which blamed the local government for the death.

In response, the local government said the incident was a conflict between local villagers and a local enterprise and that it had not been involved in the death.

A police investigation into the incident is ongoing.

Police took Li's body after the clash, villagers told local media. The body is placed at the county morgue, officials said.

Since 2003, farmland in Yunhe county, which covers Hewan village, has been leased out despite opposition from local residents, villagers said.

So far, more than 167 hectares of farmland in Hewan village has been used for the construction of government buildings and industrial plants, media reported.

Yunhe county's new government building and the Zhangcun community project for a neighboring village were reportedly built on such land.

In 2007 and 2008, villagers reportedly tore down the walls of manufacturing plants in Hewan village and vandalized police vehicles to oppose such building projects.