Nine local officials in China punished for illegal land enclosure

Nine local officials in China punished for illegal land enclosure

SHIJIAZHUANG, May 24 (Xinhua) -- Nine government officials inXianghe County of north China's Hebei Province have been punished orsacked for illegal enclosure of farmland, local authorities saidTuesday.

A preliminary investigation has uncovered that illegal transferof farmland and illegal land requisitions have happened in thecounty, and these practices have encroached on farmers' interests,according to a statement the provincial government office sentXinhua.

The county head Zhang Guijin received a serious demerit in hisperformance record as an administrative penalty, and will faceremoval from his position after legislative approval.

The county's deputy head Yan Zaixing also received a seriousdemerit, while local land and resources bureau chief Zhou Chunhuawas sacked.

Six other officials also received administrative penalties orwere dismissed.

However, the statement did not elaborate on the case nor mentionhow many hectares of farmland were involved.

According to previous media reports, the case involves more than4,000 mu (about 266.7 hectares) of farmland.

The case, first exposed by media, has been a hot topic on theInternet after three reporters investing the case were stalked by"unidentified people" while local police in Xianghe County refusedto protect them on May 15.