Official response to outcry over video raises more questions than answers

A view of the former "comfort station" called Home of the Sea in Hongkou district, Shanghai, Feb 23, 2016. [Photo/CFP]

AFTER A VIDEO was posted online showing people in uniforms beating women and children in Haikou, southern China's Hainan province, as they were evicted from their homes, the local government has apologized and detained some suspects. But there are more questions to be answered, says Bi Yantao, a professor at Hainan Tropical Ocean University:

The local government said in a statement that they were demolishing illegal buildings and the residents resorted to violence first. But that explanation is rather weak: When did the residents build their illegal buildings? Why did the government not enforce the law until now? Did they send any notice before they evicted the residents and tore down their make-shift homes?

The local government said residents "attacked" those sent to demolish the illegal constructions. In this digital age everyone carries a camera; the government has hundreds of "legal enforcers" but they show no video as evidence.

And some journalists say local officials tried to stop them from covering the incident. Such a policy only further damages their image.

The local government needs to do something to gain the public's trust. If it has evidence, such as a video, of the residents violently resisting the forced demolition, it needs to release it.

And the judiciary needs to investigate the incident and punish all those guilty of breaking the law, either those working for the government or residents. Since the local government is one of the parties involved in the dispute, independent third parties should be part of the investigation team, so people can trust its impartiality.

The local government should also verify the ownership and legality of local properties, to prevent such violence in the future.