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Six elderly people in China kill themselves 'before burial ban' | Six elderly people in China kill themselves 'before burial ban' |
(about 1 hour later) | |
Six elderly people in China are said to have killed themselves to ensure they died before new regulations banning coffin burials come into force, a newspaper has reported. | Six elderly people in China are said to have killed themselves to ensure they died before new regulations banning coffin burials come into force, a newspaper has reported. |
China has a tradition dating back thousands of years of ancestor worship, which usually requires families to bury their relatives and construct a tomb. | China has a tradition dating back thousands of years of ancestor worship, which usually requires families to bury their relatives and construct a tomb. |
But in recent years local governments across the country have demolished tombs as part of a national campaign encouraging cremation, in an attempt to save on limited land resources. | But in recent years local governments across the country have demolished tombs as part of a national campaign encouraging cremation, in an attempt to save on limited land resources. |
Government officials in Anqing, a city in the eastern province of Anhui, ordered that all locals who die after 1 June should be cremated, the Beijing News daily reported. | Government officials in Anqing, a city in the eastern province of Anhui, ordered that all locals who die after 1 June should be cremated, the Beijing News daily reported. |
Six elderly people in the area killed themselves "to avoid the new regulations on funerals", the newspaper quoted their family members as saying. | Six elderly people in the area killed themselves "to avoid the new regulations on funerals", the newspaper quoted their family members as saying. |
It said government officials began to forcibly confiscate coffins from local people in May, which "had a huge psychological impact" on them. | |
But it added a note of scepticism, saying that the reasons for the deaths were complex despite the family claims. | But it added a note of scepticism, saying that the reasons for the deaths were complex despite the family claims. |
One 91-year-old woman named Wu Zhengde hanged herself on 5 May after learning of the new regulations, the report said. | One 91-year-old woman named Wu Zhengde hanged herself on 5 May after learning of the new regulations, the report said. |
Another woman, Zheng Shifang, 83, killed herself after officials sawed her coffin in half in front of her. A 68-year-old woman killed herself by jumping into a well, while others drank poison. | Another woman, Zheng Shifang, 83, killed herself after officials sawed her coffin in half in front of her. A 68-year-old woman killed herself by jumping into a well, while others drank poison. |
The local government told media that the suicides were not connected to the burial ban and that people had given up their coffins voluntarily. | The local government told media that the suicides were not connected to the burial ban and that people had given up their coffins voluntarily. |
"China is big, death and sickness among the elderly is normal," the report quoted a local official as saying. | "China is big, death and sickness among the elderly is normal," the report quoted a local official as saying. |
The paper quoted Beijing-based lawyer Zheng Daoli as saying the coffin removals were illegal because coffins were the property of their owners. | The paper quoted Beijing-based lawyer Zheng Daoli as saying the coffin removals were illegal because coffins were the property of their owners. |
Elsewhere in China, local officials have launched campaigns to "flatten graves" to create land for farming and development. | Elsewhere in China, local officials have launched campaigns to "flatten graves" to create land for farming and development. |
Officials in the central province of Henan demolished 400,000 graves in 2012, local media reported. The case provoked a nationwide outcry. | Officials in the central province of Henan demolished 400,000 graves in 2012, local media reported. The case provoked a nationwide outcry. |
People in Anqing – who spend up to a decade preparing their coffins – were only informed of the burial ban in April, two months before the new regulations were due to come into force, the Beijing News said. | People in Anqing – who spend up to a decade preparing their coffins – were only informed of the burial ban in April, two months before the new regulations were due to come into force, the Beijing News said. |
It quoted one person, surnamed Shi, as saying: "I've had a hard life, and when I'm dead I'd like to sleep somewhere protected from the rain – inside a coffin." | It quoted one person, surnamed Shi, as saying: "I've had a hard life, and when I'm dead I'd like to sleep somewhere protected from the rain – inside a coffin." |
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