A government worker is demanding higher authorities in south China's Guangdong Province investigate the death of his mother, who he claimed was badly beaten in a demolition dispute.
Zhu Guoyu, who works in the Foreign Affairs and Overseas Chinese Affairs Bureau of Gaozhou City, said he believed officials were protecting Ling Yuanguo, a former driver in the government agency, who was said to have threatened Zhu's family from August 2009.
The family declined to move from their 39-square-meter house after Ling, who wanted to build a nine-story house nearby, had offered them just 200,000 yuan (US$30,335), nearly half the market price. However, Ling's workers soon started work, which Zhu described as so reckless that his house began to crack and become unstable.
Five unidentified men allegedly beat Zhu's mother after she tried to stop the work last May.
His mother died on June 2 and Zhu posted a "will" online, claiming he would starve himself to death unless "justice is done," China Business News reported yesterday.
Ling has recently resigned from his post and was punished after Gaozhou government found the nine-story building was unauthorized. In an interview with China Business News, Ling claimed Zhu had slandered him and he had filed a lawsuit demanding Zhu pay compensation.
Zhu said Ling was supported by many high-ranking officials in the county and city government, where they formed a network to profit from the real estate market.
Gaozhou City officials have set up a team to investigate Zhu's allegations.
By Alice Zhang
