The number of effected persons in this case is cited as 50 million, which represents an average of two estimates (40 million and 66 million) for the same period.Land Grab In China(Aug. 06, 2005)(Author - Bessie Du, a staff of BBC who visited Shenyou, Dingzhou with many risks) As China prides itself in its breakneck economic growth, over 66 million Chinese farmers have lost their land in the last 10 years. The massive land grab has fattened the wallets of government officials and has left tens of thousands of farmers homeless and devastated. In today’ s China, land is valuable. People with political connections take control of land to build factories, housing complexes, shopping centres, etc. Often times, the local governments come and take away farmers?¯ land without any negotiation. Most farmers have no choice but to accept whatever amount of compensation they?¯re offered and move away from the land they?¯ve farmed for generations. In recent years, however, more and more farmers have become aware of their rights and have begun to resist. (boxun.com)

Forced evictions are widespread in China todayMay 31, 2005, in Nanhai, Guangdong province, over 4000 policemen were mobilized. Dozens of diggers and bulldozers drove into the farm land of local farmers and began dump sandy earth. Over 60 acres of land turned into wasteland overnight. June 1, 2005, just outside of Chongqing, in Southwest China, more than 300 policemen turned up at the houses of farmers Xiong Kaiyan, Xiong Tianbi and Wang Qiang. While the armed police looked on, officials kicked open the doors and dumped the household goods on the street outside. Within hours, three farm houses collapsed under the wheels of two bulldozers. June 11, 2005, in Dingzhou, Hebei, hundreds of men armed with hunting rifles, clubs and spears attacked a group of farmers who pitched tents on their disputed land to defend it. Six farmers were killed and over 100 seriously injured. Farm land has no legal protectionHou Wenzhou, director of Empowerment and Rights Institute, a Beijing-based non-government organization, summed up the nature of this aggressive land seizure in an interview with the BBC recently. Legal entitlement of farm land is not clearly defined in China. It looks like it belongs to the farmers, but if the government wants to take it away, it?¯s very easy. The government can say it?¯s for the good of the country, for the interest of the State. The farmers are told to give up their personal interests and individual rights to serve the State. The reality is that local governments use the slogan of public interest to serve their own. They use all sorts of reasons and excuses to take away land from the peasantry. The interests of the farmers are totally ignored , says Hou Wenzhou. When asked why the State needs so much land and what the seized land is used for, Hou gave the following explanation. ?°The central government likes to see rapid economic growth. Local governments think building high risers is good. It wins them political favour. It also gives lots of opportunities for corruption. For them, it?¯s a win-win situation. There are lots of kickbacks for all those involved. This is extremely common. Local governments love to grab land and they love construction. Even if grabbing land brings no tangible benefits for the people, even if construction is not needed, they don?¯t care. Seized land sometimes sits idle for years while farmers have no land to grow crops.?± Farmers?¯ voices are not heardMany peasant farmers come to Beijing to file petitions. They complain to higher government offices about their losses. Local governments set up check points at train stations and highway tollgates to block the petitioners. When th

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