More Forced Evictions Ahead of Asian Games, Guangzhou, China
- 14 years ago
Next month, almost 12-thousand athletes from 45 countries will compete at the Asian Games in southern China's manufacturing hub, Guangzhou. The city has been preparing for the games for the past seven years and during the construction numerous local residents have been evicted.
Guangzhou will host the Asian Games from November 12 to 27 this year. The slogan for the games is "Thrilling Games Harmonious Asia."
But during the construction of buildings and facilities for the games, developers have forced the eviction of numerous local residents.
In a country where the ruling regime can displace locals in the name of development, many locals do not have the means to keep their homes.
This is downtown Guangzhou. Beside these newly-constructed high rises, a few deserted buildings remain.
This was a farmers' village built decades ago, before the rapid industrialization along the Pearl River Delta. The Bulldozers came in July, tearing down most of the village, but about a dozen residents refuse to leave their ancestral homes.
This elderly woman says her neighbor was arrested for trying to defend the right to his property.
[Village Resident]:
"He spent seven months in prison and has just been released, but the demolition of his village is nearly complete."
In another part of Guangzhou, bulldozers tear down houses as people in nearby buildings look on.
In China, urban land is owned by the state. Residents are allowed only usage rights. In the countryside, villagers are able to own land collectively. In practice, however, local officials still control land usage and development.
Over the past nine years, the Chinese regime has hosted about half a dozen major sporting events. But they come with a social cost, besides mass evictions, there has been media censorship and the silencing of dissidents, as seen during the 2008 Beijing Olympics and the Shanghai Expo.
Guangzhou will host the Asian Games from November 12 to 27 this year. The slogan for the games is "Thrilling Games Harmonious Asia."
But during the construction of buildings and facilities for the games, developers have forced the eviction of numerous local residents.
In a country where the ruling regime can displace locals in the name of development, many locals do not have the means to keep their homes.
This is downtown Guangzhou. Beside these newly-constructed high rises, a few deserted buildings remain.
This was a farmers' village built decades ago, before the rapid industrialization along the Pearl River Delta. The Bulldozers came in July, tearing down most of the village, but about a dozen residents refuse to leave their ancestral homes.
This elderly woman says her neighbor was arrested for trying to defend the right to his property.
[Village Resident]:
"He spent seven months in prison and has just been released, but the demolition of his village is nearly complete."
In another part of Guangzhou, bulldozers tear down houses as people in nearby buildings look on.
In China, urban land is owned by the state. Residents are allowed only usage rights. In the countryside, villagers are able to own land collectively. In practice, however, local officials still control land usage and development.
Over the past nine years, the Chinese regime has hosted about half a dozen major sporting events. But they come with a social cost, besides mass evictions, there has been media censorship and the silencing of dissidents, as seen during the 2008 Beijing Olympics and the Shanghai Expo.