Chinese Official Hacked to Death in Tea Pavilion Dispiute
Malcom Moore in Shanghai
June 11, 2009
Deng Kaihua, the 32-year-old deputy director of a nature reserve around Nankun mountain in the southern province of Guangzhou, was stabbed in the head on June 2.
The official, and a team of 80 workers from the nature reserve's administration committee, had entered the reserve to demolish a series of illegal pavilions, built by locals to entertain tourists.
One member of the team told the Southern Agriculture Daily newspaper that Zhou Weilin, the owner of a tea pavilion slated for demolition, had stationed his elderly parents inside, while a female family member was tied to one pillar and knives had been laid out on the ground.
The pavilion was reported to have cost the family £1,000 to build and had been standing for four years, selling tea to visitors.
Mr Zhou and three of his brothers then confronted the demolition team with knives, and one of the brothers, Zhou Weihong, allegedly slashed Mr Deng in the head. He died of his injuries two days later.
A spokesman for the local administration said: "The attack was a surprise. We didn't expect the brothers to come at us with knives. Deng was actually inside the pavilion, trying to persuade the parents to leave.
"We were only trying to improve the region, because it is a tourist area, and this pavilion was built over a river, partially blocking it. We definitely did not mistreat anyone. If we had treated the family badly, we would not have been the ones getting hurt."
Mr Zhou and his wife have been detained along with a number of relatives.
Zhang Yuqing, another pavilion owner whose building was destroyed, said: "They told me it was illegal, so what can I do? I gave up, I don't bother anymore."
The average yearly income of a family running a resort for tourists in the nature reserve is around £4,000 to £5,000.