Chinese man takes to tree-house to protest demolition order.
A man who protested by nesting in a tree for three months straight due to compensation disputes over his demolished house was charged for assembling a crowd that disrupted traffic and tried in Chongqing Monday.
The man, Chen Maoguo, pleaded not guilty. His family said he has no other way to protect his legal rights.
The indictment states that 61-year-old Chen grew discontented with the local authorities and the compensation package. He then moved to a makeshift shelter in a tree using a speaker to instigate his fellow villagers to block passing vehicles.
The indictment said Chen’s behavior attracted a large crowd that severely disturbed traffic order.
The saga started in October 2008 when Chen’s 1,200-square-meter courtyard house was demolished to make way for a highway project. Authorities promised to pay him about 500,000 yuan ($73,556).
Since one of his houses was used as a grocery store and he also ran the wine-brewing business in the family, Chen demanded an additional compensation of 220,000 yuan for his business loss but failed to get it, the West China Metropolis Daily reported.
Chen then started petitioning the authorities, but achieved no results in almost a year.
A frustrated Chen climbed up to a 15-meter-high tree sitting next to his house debris to stage a protest. He had lived in a makeshift shelter on the tree since August 3, 2009.
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