Local authorities in Yingkou City of Northeastern China have illegally grabbed lands from some 10,000 local farmers and used police and criminal gangs to suppress petitioners.
According to local farmers, the authorities illegally confiscated farmland to make place for the Yingkou Economic and Development Zone. Farmers did not receive proper compensation for their lands and demolished homes. When many chose to petition for their rights, the authorities detained and persecuted them with the aid of criminal gangs, and sent many to prison.
The land grab started in 2003 when the authorities forcibly occupied farmland and resident areas of seven villages, evicting 13,437 peasants from their land. The land compensation fee of 200 million yuan (US$ 28.6 million) was also unlawfully embezzled from the peasants.
