The family of 3 that set themselves on fire in Beijing’s Wangfujing apparently did so after losing their home. From AP, via MSNBC:
Three people who set themselves on fire in downtown Beijing came from China’s western region of Xinjiang after their “unreasonable” demands for compensation for a lost home were not met, a governor of the region said.
Xinjiang Governor Nur Bekri told reporters at a news conference on the sidelines of the annual legislative session in Beijing on Friday the family’s home was destroyed to make way for a school.
The couple and their son set fire to themselves while inside their car on Feb. 25 at the southern end of the Wangfujing shopping street in central Beijing. The fire sparked alarm because it happened just several blocks from Tiananmen Square.
For more on petitioners, see this CDT post.
