Relocation prompts explosion

The nation is in a state of shock in the wake of two incidents reportedly tied to the demolition and relocation of homes: the bombing of a government office in Yunnan province on Thursday and a suicide the day earlier.

A woman who went to the Qiaojia county demolition office to discuss relocation compensation ignited explosives that she had strapped to herself after officials refused her demands, according to a report by the Xinhua News Agency.

The blast killed the bomber along with two staff members of the facility and injured another 14 people.

Four who were badly injured were transported for treatment to Kunming, the provincial capital. The 10 others went to a local hospital, according to the county government.

The blast came on the heels of a highly publicized suicide in Guangdong province. The victim's letter cited the forced demolition of her home as the reason she jumped to her death, according to the Guangzhou-based Southern Metropolis Daily.

Li Jie'e, a 40-year-old woman from Yangji village of Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong, died after jumping from a five-story building on Wednesday.

The vacant building was about to be demolished to make way for an ongoing reconstruction project in the village, the newspaper reported.

The report said Li's house was demolished in March along with two other houses in the village after the decision to relocate the homes was approved by the local court.

China's laws require local government to obtain judicial consent before carrying out forced demolition.

Li and the other two households were unhappy with the compensation being offered by the government, according to the report.

The completion date for the reconstruction project has been pushed back another year to 2014 due to 29 disputes over relocation, said Zhang Jianhao, head of Yangji village.