Inside China Today

Inside China Today – Sunday 9th November

Detained author and democracy advocate Yang Tianshui's health is rapidly deteriorating in prison.

- Chinese writer Yang Tianshui critically ill in prison

- Collusion of Anhui officials and merchants to expropriate farmland

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Chinese writer Yang Tianshui critically ill in prison

Renowned Chinese freelance writer Yang Tianshui’s health is in a critical situation in prison. He has had a fever for one week, with a body temperature as high as 39 degrees Celsius. He has been in the prison hospital for over one month.

His family are extremely worried about his health and his older sister Yang Guixiang told a reporter on November 4 that Yang is suffering from several kinds of ailments and is very weak.

She said (recording) “He is suffering numerous kinds of diseases. He’s been having a fever for one week now. The result from the medical exam shows that it is Intestinal Tuberculosis, Tuberculosis Pneumonitis, and Tuberculosis Inflammatory Bowel Disease. He has Diabetes and high blood pressure to begin with in addition to arthritis, which is the most serious of all his ailments. During the relapse of his arthritis, he could not even close in his fingers. I am really worried that he may not be able to get through.”


His eldest sister, 71-year-old Yang Tongmei, went to visit him at Nanjing Prison on October 27. She said he was so sick that he could not even walk by himself.

(Recording): “She said, he wrote me a letter before October 27, from the hospital. He had sustained a fever, and his temperature was 39 degrees Celsius every day, for a week. His Pneumonitis got so much worse that he was suffering Pleural effusion. The doctors suctioned a lot of water from his lungs. He was extremely skinny, and could not walk by himself. A patient who is sick to this extent, you can imagine, is in a very bad shape.”

Human rights activist Zhang Lin of Anhui province told Sound of Hope reporters that according to standard practice, Mr Yang’s severe condition makes him eligible for medical parole. However, because he is a prisoner of conscience, the procedure for medical parole is very complicated and requires approval from several levels of organizations.

Mr. Zhang said (recording) “With all the delay from the complicated procedures, usually the person would die before the approval is granted. The Chinese communist regime has a policy, which is trying not to have the detainee die inside the prison. Therefore, as soon as one is found to be dying, the prison authorities will quickly start the procedure, trying to get this person out. However, due to the delays, many people still die inside the prisons. At the time they die, the procedure is still halfway through.”

Yang Tianshui’s elder sister Yang Guixiang said the prison authorities simply ignore his requests and those of his family, paying no attention to Yang’s illness. She calls on people at home and abroad to step forward for the sake of Yang’s health.

(recording): “She said, we hope you can help us appeal to international society, to pressure the Chinese government to give him freedom, and grant him medical parole so that he can receive treatment outside the prison.”
Mr. Yang has been striving for the development of China’s democratic undertaking all his life. In 2007, he was sentenced to 10 years in prison on the charge of subversion of state power, for the publication of one of his articles which were said to be attacking Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leaders and having the intention of overthrowing the CCP. Previously he has been sentenced to 12 years in prison by the communist regime.

Matthew Ytsma; Tian Xi of the SOH Radio Network

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Collusion of Anhui officials and merchants to expropriate farmland

Some farmers in Wuhu City released an online petition, accusing the local government of collusion with an influential merchant. The merchant is accused of selling over 6.6 acres of agricultural land at a low price, causing many farmers to lose their land and become unemployed. The sale was also made without proper approval to convert farmland into an entertainment venue.

On November 4th, two villagers in Shi Wei Township spoke with a reporter about the collusion between officials and developers who had seized their farmland.

One villager named Chan angrily told a reporter that he had been appealing for a solution from authorities over the years. The local Letters & Complaints Bureau not only ignored his appeal, but used threats to intimidate him so that he would not petition again.

(Recording) “I have been appealing to the authorities. In January 2009, I also applied to the Complaints Bureau in Wuhu City, without response. Without my consent, the local government sold my private land to Tengfei Jewelry Company. I had not received any kind of compensation for my private land, the ownership of which evidenced by relevant documents. It is a system to protect farmland and, apparently, our agricultural fields were expropriated. The field is established under our scientific research and was forcibly taken away, which is the collusion of official and merchant. I appealed to the Wuhu City Complaint Bureau that intimidated me, saying: “You would be arrested if you were in the Complaint Bureau”. The Deputy of Wuhu City Complaints Office also said threateningly, “You should be concerned about your petty life”. Because I was afraid, I dared not air the issue.”

Villager Chan also revealed that corruption of local authorities has become very serious since 2002 when a succession of large blocks of farmland was illegally occupied. Commoners appealed to higher authorities, but the government merely acts carries out its routines with little real interest.

(Recording) “Farmland in our region had all been seized for development with only ours remaining. Local residents claimed corruption in the construction industry, occupying land, profiteering, and ignoring the lives of commoners. We report the problems, but government acts casually, and passes the buck. So far, our problem remains unsolved. There are even bigger sinister forces behind the scene. (Our appeal) goes nowhere.”

A villager named Wang said that his agricultural field was seized, and he has been appealing to relevant departments for 7 to 8 years while each government department acts irresponsibly, kicking the case back and forth.

(Recording) “This issue remains stagnant. City government asked township authorities to settle, but the problem still remains. We have nowhere left to appeal. Now, 7 to 8 years have passed since 2002 when it occurred. We report to the provincial government that requested city authority to resolve the matter, and then city government passed it to the township authority. The Complaints Bureau failed to respond, and had to appeal to the provincial government. Several years have gone by while authorities toss the case about.”

When a reporter interviewed a villager named Wang, he was very happy. He says that no domestic media dared to report on their problem.

Afterward, the reporter called the deputy director of the Complaints Bureau in Wuhu City, and the Director said that he was in a meeting and cannot answer reporters’ questions.

Donna Ware; Han Fei of the SOH Radio Network.

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