Sign up to The Irish Times Archive (1859 - 2008)My Account »

ILLEGAL FORCED demolitions by unscrupulous property developers, often sneaking in under cover of darkness and using hired thugs to beat people out of their homes, are the biggest source of unrest in China.

Now the government has introduced new rules to end the stealing and destruction of homes to make way for new developments. The rules, which came into effect late last week, render illegal the use of violence or threats to force homeowners to leave.