An 8-month-old disappeared after his family’s home was demolished. After a maze of administrative twists and turns, he was eventually returned to his family. From Caixin:
Jinjiang village is located in the northwest suburban area of Changsha. At the end of last year, the area was incorporated in plans for the Yanghu Public Services Area and Yanghu Hospital. The project involves more than 300 local households and 785 mu (about 52 hectares) of land. However, the government failed to secure land compensation agreements with some of the households. In July, more than a dozen families refused to move – including Shen’s family. Last month, the local authorities started to move the so-called “nail households” by force, claiming that Shen’s house was built without proper permits.
Shen said that she and other family members uttered some angry and irrational words just before losing the child. “Since you tore our house down and left us with nothing, raising the child will be impossible. If you want to take the child away, go ahead,” Shen said to officials. However, she said to her utmost astonishment, the staff on the site did take the child away.
Shen said officials hinted to her family that the child would be returned if the expenses for hotel accommodation and baby-sitting were paid and if a compensation agreement was signed by the family. Shen and her family felt that they were blackmailed.
