The Epoch Times
By Fu Ming & Zhu Jiaqi
Sound Of Hope Network

A new regulation titled Ordinance of House Collection and Compensation on State-Owned Land (Draft For Feedback Collection) was announced on Jan. 29. The Legislative Affairs Office of the State Council is under criticism because people believe that the new laws, rather than preventing unlawful forced demolitions, legalize them.

Liu Feiyue, human rights activist in Hubei Province, pointed out that the regulations now include business-related forced demolitions, providing a legitimate excuse for business development/relocation. “The new regulations are supposed to focus on collecting state lands for the public welfare. Including the business sector is in reality a silent approval for forced demolition due to business needs.” Liu believes house demolition for business needs should be strictly regulated by the market.

Liu also remarked that in an autocratic country like China, the new laws are hard to enforce. “Officials hold absolute power, which makes the execution of the laws impossible. We are concerned that the new regulations will not force the local governments that collude with businesses to give up their vested interests.”    more …