From AP:
Construction workers using pick axes Friday started demolishing a home belonging to a Beijing family that has fought eviction for more than five years, with two people still inside.
The standoff drew large crowds of angry neighbors who shouted at security guards. Similar scenes have played out across the capital as part of a building boom ahead of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.
Property disputes and illegal land grabs have accelerated recently as China’s economy expands at double-digit rates and farmland is seized for industrial parks and skyscrapers. Government officials often have sided with developers, touching off riots and protests.[Full Text]
