Bulldozer kills little girl during land dispute
Print Edition
A THREE-YEAR-OLD girl was killed by a bulldozer during a land dispute in southeast China, her father said yesterday.
Hong Xiaorou died under the tracks of the construction vehicle on land next to the family home in Zhangzhou, Fujian Province, said Hong Bingsheng.
She was killed as the family tried to block construction crews from “forcibly flattening the land” on Wednesday, Hong said, adding that the workers were planning to later target the family’s own property.
“I asked an official from the demolition team: ‘What is more important — human life or land acquisition?’” Hong told AFP.
“The official replied: ‘Land acquisition is more important.’”
The family took the girl’s body to a local government office to protest to officials, the father said.
Images that were posted on Sina Weibo microblog site showed a badly bruised toddler lying on a table in what appeared to be an office, with blood pouring from her head, as a woman cried at her side.
The family had been negotiating compensation over the acquisition of their land, Hong said. Such talks between residents and developers are common across China as the country undergoes rapid urbanization.
“We live in the development zone and they wanted to acquire our land. We haven’t settled a compensation agreement, and now they’ve killed my daughter with a bulldozer,” he said.
Local officials and police denied the family home was being targeted by developers.
“There’s no demolition. Yes, the girl died. But she was accidently killed by the bulldozer when they were flattening the (adjacent) land as she sneaked into the building site and was playing there,” said an official at the Zhangpu district office, who did not give her name.
A police officer surnamed Chen said: “The developer was flattening the land and the family of this girl were afraid their land was going to be affected because they are next door.”
The driver of the vehicle involved in the accident is in police custody and an investigation is underway, the Yangcheng Evening News reported yesterday.
China’s rapid urbanization can see entire villages uprooted to make way for industry and housing developments.
A series of regulations have been passed by legislators in recent years protecting land rights. These include outlawing the use of violence during evictions and stipulating market rate compensation must be paid to relocated residents.
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