City probes aids threat claims

Authorities in Nanyang, Henan province, are investigating reports that workers tasked with demolishing homes for a new development are threatening to infect residents with HIV if they don't move out, Xinhua News Agency reported on Wednesday.

Forced demolitions have been blamed for many previous mass disturbances around the country, with local governments and developers sometimes accused of forcibly carrying out demolition orders and of not paying proper compensation.

Pictures of the "AIDS demolition team" have recently surfaced on social media, with residents claiming to have been harassed since December to move out of their homes, which are slated for demolition and development.