Chinese pig farmer, managers of agricultural firm ‘detained over land dispute’
- Founder of Hebei Dawu Agricultural and Animal Husbandry Group and a dozen others taken away by police, according to sources
- The company is said to be embroiled in a long-running feud with a state-owned farm
A pig farmer in northern China has been detained by police for allegedly “picking quarrels and provoking trouble” over a land dispute with a state-run farm, according to sources close to his family.
Sun Dawu, founder and chief supervisor of the Hebei Dawu Agricultural and Animal Husbandry Group, was taken away by police in Gaobeidian city, Hebei province in the early hours of Wednesday, according to one of the family friends.
His eldest son Sun Meng, who is chairman of the group, and about a dozen senior managers of the company were also detained, the friend said.
Sun Dawu started the company in 1989 and it has since become a major agricultural producer in Hebei, with businesses ranging from animal husbandry and feed processing to chemical fertilisers and tourism. He stepped down as chairman in 2013, paving the way for Sun Meng to take the helm.
According to the family friend, police raided the homes of Sun and his associates in the early hours of the morning and detained them.
“Sun and his assistant, his brother, his two sons, several executives and the heads of some subsidiary companies of the group are all being held by the police,” the friend said.
“The police came suddenly last night and they have been questioning many company employees today,” he added.
When contacted on Wednesday, a company employee confirmed the police action.
“Dawu Group has faith in the rule of law [in China] and we will cooperate with the judicial authorities [on the investigation],” the employee said. “At the same time, we will use legal means to defend the legitimate rights of our senior management.”
Calls to police in Gaobeidian went unanswered.
According to accounts posted on Chinese social media network WeChat, the Dawu Group has been embroiled in a long-running feud with a state-owned farm in Xushui county, which the company has accused of encroaching on its land.
In August, police clashed with Dawu Group staff who had tried to stop employees of the state farm from tearing down one of the company’s buildings. Dozens of Dawu employees were injured in the clash, according to the company’s account on WeChat.
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