"Forcible evictions increase in China" Associated Press, October 12, 2012
BEIJING — Cases of people being forcibly evicted from their homes and land have risen significantly in China, becoming the single greatest source of public discontent and a serious threat to the country’s social and political stability, Amnesty International said Thursday.
Forced demolitions have long been a way of life in China.
In Palestine, too!
In fact, I hear even banks are using bulldozers now (although fires might be a better way).
Decades of economic growth have been driven by real estate development, much of it on the backs of millions of residents forced to relocate to make way for factories and business ventures....
Developers are often known to hire thugs to threaten residents, sometimes with violence....
He's known as a sheriff in AmeriKa, and he's only doing his job.
--more--"
Don't worry. China's government is addressing the problem:
BEIJING — China’s government ordered local officials Wednesday to do more to cool surging housing costs after a scandal over a bank employee who bought 45 properties highlighted the potential for evasion of ownership limits.
A Cabinet statement also directed local leaders to build more low-cost housing.
Soaring housing prices have made fortunes for some people but pushed home ownership out of reach of millions of families, fueling tensions.
Americans, I just wondered if you were sick of this rot-gut pot-shit media hollering kettle.
The government pledge comes as a new generation of Communist Party leaders who took power in November are promising more action to narrow the wealth gap between an elite who have benefited from economic reform and China’s poor majority.
Sound familiar, Amurkn? Your disparity is the HIGHEST in the WORLD!
The government has increased minimum required downpayments, imposed limits in some cities on how many properties one buyer can own, and imposed other curbs.
In the most high-profile housing case, a bank officer in the northern province of Shaanxi is accused of amassing 45 properties worth at least $160 million with the help of phony identity cards and corrupt police.
