The Pearl Report: Conflict between Farmers and Local Government in China

So happened I watched the Pearl Report on Nov 4, 2006 afternoon and its about the conflict between farmers and local government in China. In many instances the local government officials would sell the farmers farmland without their consent, at a much higher price to the buyer, and with minimal or even no reimbursement to the farmers. There are also instances that the local government officials did not reimburse what they have promised.

It seems that this kind of conflicts should have happened in the ancient China (its just from my impression - need to research further on this) and still continue now. What's really sad is that the mentality of Chinese people have not really developed: the farmers still have not had the chance to be educated and to know their own rights about protecting their own properties. The government officials still think that they'd the emperor of their territory.

But it is a complicated problem sometimes, involving a lot of interest among different parties. I could just bookmark them here for you all's reference. It takes time to read them all and summarize something which looks sensible.

• Let farmers speak for themselves (China Development Brief)
• An Analysis of Personal Rights of Chinese Farmers - Zhang Yinghong (China Digital Times)
• China Struggling to Control Increasingly Violent Public Contest - Audra Ang (China Digital Times)

It would definitely be a very serious problem for the modern China 'cos its no longer a problem that the Chinese Government could conceal...