OpinionVillagers made homeless after developer demolishes houses

Seventy-two year-old Li Guirong did not have happy start to the new year.

Just before midnight on Monday, Li and hundreds of other villagers from Pingdingshan county’s Bailou village, China’s southeastern Henan province, were left homeless after wrecking crews reduced their houses to rubble.

According to Li, power to her house was cut at around 10pm on Monday evening. Shortly after, she heard the roar of heavy machinery as wrecking balls began tearing through the walls of her neighbours' homes.

In sub-zero temperatures, villagers were then taken by vans to a hotel about 16 kilometres away as the demolitions continued. They were brought back about an hour later.

“I cried in the car and asked why they demolished my house, they told me to go to the village committee if I had anything to ask,” said Li, in an interview with Dahe.

The village party secretary was said to be the one in charge of the demolition operation, the report said.