Blackmail alleged in graveyard dispute
A Hong Kong businessman yesterday claimed that he was being blackmailed by a group of villagers in Guangdong, who dug up his ancestors' bones and were holding them for ransom.
Cheng Pak-heng, who rushed from Hong Kong to Jieyang county in Guangdong yesterday, said he was shocked and demanded local police intervene.
'Chinese people have a long history of ancestor-worshipping. It is a great act of disrespect to dig up someone's grave. I have never done anything bad to the villagers. How could they do this to me?' he said.
Mr Cheng, a Jieyang native who moved to Hong Kong years ago, said the villagers had destroyed five graves belonging to his family and dug up a pair of bones. The bones are now held at a local shrine. The villagers are said to have asked Mr Cheng for 300,000 yuan for them.
About two years ago, local authorities asked him to move the family graveyard in Jieyang to make way for a highway. He then bought a piece of land for 800,000 yuan at the nearby village of Aoshangcun and moved the graves there.
But a few weeks ago, the villagers called him and claimed the village head had pocketed 400,000 yuan and did not give all of the money to them. They refused to honour the deal and accused Mr Cheng of illegally moving his family graves to their farmland.
The villagers said Mr Cheng had to pay them another 300,000 yuan to keep the land. But he refused.
About 200 villagers broke into the graveyard last month and destroyed five graves of the Cheng family, before carrying away the bones, he said.
He reported the case to police and asked local authorities to help. But Jieyang police said they were still investigating and refused to help. They also accused Mr Cheng of stirring up trouble by telling the media about his ordeal.
A police officer said the deal was illegal and Mr Cheng had broken local laws. 'It is illegal to turn farmland into graveyard. And he spent 800,000 yuan for five graves. Such luxurious burial is not in line with our regulations here,' he said.
