Thousands of residents of villages near the Tangjiashan 'quake lake' in Beichuan county, Sichuan province, have been asked to return to rebuild their homes, even though officials admit they will face severe hardship and dangers. 'There remain many difficulties, as the roads are blocked and there is no electricity or communication,' said Yang Qiyuan, Communist Party secretary of Xuanping town, one of the places that evacuees have been told to return. Construction materials could not yet be delivered to the villages, Mr Yang admitted. While returning was voluntary, those who refused would not receive subsidies to see them through a transitional period and to defray the costs of rebuilding their homes, he said. Returnees also face the risk of further landslides, with many slopes still unstable. They are being sent back because the authorities want to close temporary resettlement camps near the epicentre of the May 12 earthquake. While most survivors living on the Chengdu plain welcomed the push, those from mountainous areas - where the danger of landslides is greater - are more resistant. But most of them have no choice but to comply. A farmer from Xuanping, who gave his surname as Nong, said refugees still staying in a resettlement area in Huangtu county were asked to provide their personal data on Wednesday as officials told them they had to return to their villages by Sunday. 'I don't want to return. There are still landslides, and it is not safe,' Mr Nong said. 'There are no vegetables, and many things are still lacking in the mountains.' Mr Yang said most townsfolk had already returned to Xuanping. 'More than 7,000 people have already returned. The remaining 1,900 cannot return because their homes are inundated by the Tangjiashan barrier lake,' he said. 'Those who cannot return will have to stay [in nearby towns] until a new town is built and they can decide whether they will return.' Mr Yang admitted landslides still occurred in the mountains and that returnees faced immense difficulties in rebuilding their homes. Each household would be given a subsidy of 2,000 yuan (HK$2,287) during a transitional period and would be paid 16,000 to 22,000 yuan after their new home was completed. Mr Yang promised that tents in the mountainous area would only be used in places geologists confirmed were safe. However, many quake victims are sceptical about the government's assurances and have chosen not to return, fearing more landslides during the rainy season.