FOURTEEN officials have been punished for “illegal behaviors” in old-city renovation projects in a Jiangsu county, two weeks after seven petitioners from the county tried to kill themselves in Beijing in a desperate attempt to publicize injustices they claim to have suffered in relocation.

    The State Bureau for Letters and Calls, China’s top complaints-hearing department, did not provide other details in its statement yesterday.

    The seven petitioners, from Qingyang Township of Sihong County, Suqian City, are not in life-threatening conditions and have been detained by police for picking quarrels and provoking trouble, according to the statement.

    The petitioners drank pesticide outside the headquarters of China Youth Daily, a national newspaper, in Beijing on July 16.

    They started petitioning local authorities in September of last year because of what they called “substandard demolition compensation” for their properties.

    While the government had paid them 1,000-2,000 yuan (US$161-322) per square meter for their land, the commercial complexes in the same neighborhood were selling for 4,000-5,000 yuan per square meter, they said.(SD-Agencies)