Lufeng focuses on Wukan land problem
China Daily, 09-13-2016
Wukan village in Lufeng city, Shanwei, Guangdong province has made progress in solving problems with its local villagers after ex-village head Lin Zulian was fined and sentenced by the People's Court of Foshan's Chancheng district to three years and one month in prison on Sept 8 for taking bribes.
Lin said during the hearing that he respects the verdict and will not lodge an appeal.
The case has brought Wukan into the international spotlight again. Some villagers have raised various demands, some reasonable and others unrealistic; for their part, the local governments of Shanwei and Lufeng and Party committees have always addressed the grievances in accordance with the law.
Land disputes are among the most vexing concerns of local villagers and the Shanwei and Lufeng governments have adopted a creative platform to help solve them.
In September 2011, the illegal transfer of collective lands by the former Wukan village committee caused a large-scale mass incident. Most villagers were required to return their land, and the problem of the land disputes has not been solved since, not even after the formation of a new committee in 2012.
As of now, all the legal problems raised by the villagers have been solved according to the law. For other pending issues, some appear to be misunderstandings of the law and some of them lack strong enough evidence for arbitration, according to Yang Xusong, mayor of Shanwei city.
For lands with clear ownership, all the registration certificates have been issued by the Shanwei and Lufeng governments. For other disputed lands, a platform called "1+7+N" has been established to help solve the problem. And for questionable land demands, the governments have taken steps to help villagers understand the whole picture.
Land certificates
By the end of Aug 28, the government had returned 3,928.32 mu (261.89 hectares) of land to the village of Wukan. A further 4,509 mu of formerly disputed land has also been returned, and Qisha village itself has returned 144.18 mu to Wukan, for a total of 8581 mu.
Also, 31 land or real estate certificates had been signed by the Wukan village committee.
In July the Lufeng government formulated special working plans to help deal with land demands from villagers. Government workers also helped villagers to learn the legal registration procedure.
"1+7+N" platform
Some 7,416 mu of lands are disputed between Wukan and its neighboring villages. To solve the problem, the Lufeng government set up the "1+7+N" platform in July. By taking one Wukan representative, seven representatives from neighboring villages, land experts and government representatives acting as mediators or referees, some land disputes have been solved in a balanced and mutually respectful manner.
Since the middle of July, the Lufeng government has arranged face-to-face discussions between Wukan and its neighboring villages. An agreement centered on the negotiation rules on disputed land has been signed, promoting mediation and closure of the land problem.
Residential land distribution
To address the villagers' residential land concerns, the government set up a special working group to promote its residential land allocation policy of "One family, One house"; effectively protecting the villagers' reasonable demands regarding residential land.
On Aug 8, under the guidance of Lufeng authorities, and after a series of discussions and consultations, a "Wukan Residential Land Allocation Case" was formed. On Aug 22, a preliminary site for residential land was selected by the authorities.
Yang said that the Wukan problem comes down to the land problem, and that the land problem can only be solved by the law. The Shanwei and Lufeng governments took the lead in solving it, creating a key to solving any remaining disputes.
In addressing the land problem through legal procedures, the governments also solved other issues related to poverty-relief, employment, healthcare and livelihood concerns, according to Yang.
China Daily, 09-13-2016
Wukan village in Lufeng city, Shanwei, Guangdong province has made progress in solving problems with its local villagers after ex-village head Lin Zulian was fined and sentenced by the People's Court of Foshan's Chancheng district to three years and one month in prison on Sept 8 for taking bribes.
Lin said during the hearing that he respects the verdict and will not lodge an appeal.
The case has brought Wukan into the international spotlight again. Some villagers have raised various demands, some reasonable and others unrealistic; for their part, the local governments of Shanwei and Lufeng and Party committees have always addressed the grievances in accordance with the law.
Land disputes are among the most vexing concerns of local villagers and the Shanwei and Lufeng governments have adopted a creative platform to help solve them.
In September 2011, the illegal transfer of collective lands by the former Wukan village committee caused a large-scale mass incident. Most villagers were required to return their land, and the problem of the land disputes has not been solved since, not even after the formation of a new committee in 2012.
As of now, all the legal problems raised by the villagers have been solved according to the law. For other pending issues, some appear to be misunderstandings of the law and some of them lack strong enough evidence for arbitration, according to Yang Xusong, mayor of Shanwei city.
For lands with clear ownership, all the registration certificates have been issued by the Shanwei and Lufeng governments. For other disputed lands, a platform called "1+7+N" has been established to help solve the problem. And for questionable land demands, the governments have taken steps to help villagers understand the whole picture.
Land certificates
By the end of Aug 28, the government had returned 3,928.32 mu (261.89 hectares) of land to the village of Wukan. A further 4,509 mu of formerly disputed land has also been returned, and Qisha village itself has returned 144.18 mu to Wukan, for a total of 8581 mu.
Also, 31 land or real estate certificates had been signed by the Wukan village committee.
In July the Lufeng government formulated special working plans to help deal with land demands from villagers. Government workers also helped villagers to learn the legal registration procedure.
"1+7+N" platform
Some 7,416 mu of lands are disputed between Wukan and its neighboring villages. To solve the problem, the Lufeng government set up the "1+7+N" platform in July. By taking one Wukan representative, seven representatives from neighboring villages, land experts and government representatives acting as mediators or referees, some land disputes have been solved in a balanced and mutually respectful manner.
Since the middle of July, the Lufeng government has arranged face-to-face discussions between Wukan and its neighboring villages. An agreement centered on the negotiation rules on disputed land has been signed, promoting mediation and closure of the land problem.
Residential land distribution
To address the villagers' residential land concerns, the government set up a special working group to promote its residential land allocation policy of "One family, One house"; effectively protecting the villagers' reasonable demands regarding residential land.
On Aug 8, under the guidance of Lufeng authorities, and after a series of discussions and consultations, a "Wukan Residential Land Allocation Case" was formed. On Aug 22, a preliminary site for residential land was selected by the authorities.
Yang said that the Wukan problem comes down to the land problem, and that the land problem can only be solved by the law. The Shanwei and Lufeng governments took the lead in solving it, creating a key to solving any remaining disputes.
In addressing the land problem through legal procedures, the governments also solved other issues related to poverty-relief, employment, healthcare and livelihood concerns, according to Yang.
