The Chinese authorities are forcibly evicting 1.5 million people from their homes in Beijing without compensating them to make way for the Olympics leaving many displaced former residents homeless, the Centre on Housing Rights and Evictions revealed this week.
According to the Geneva based rights group's field research, based on Chinese government statements and documents, by April 2007, at least 1.25 million people have already been displaced as a result of urban development linked to the Olympic Games, and unknown numbers of these people were forcibly evicted.
COHRE reported that at least a further 250,000 people are expected to be displaced in the final year before the Olympic Games, resulting in a total of 1.5 million people being displaced in Beijing by August 2008 due to Olympics related development.
The group claimed that evictions in Beijing often involve the complete demolition of poor peoples’ houses and the inhabitants are then forced to relocate far from their communities and workplaces, with inadequate transportation networks adding significantly to their cost of living.
Their research shows that the forced evictions are often violent and abuses committed during the eviction processes have multiplied.
The Chinese government disputes these figures saying that only 6037 households have been demolished, and that all the displaced families have received adequate compensation.
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