Hundreds protest in Shanghai over toppled building

2009-07-05 08:38:01 -

BEIJING (AP) - Hundreds of Chinese homeowners protested outside government offices in Shanghai demanding refunds after a 13-story apartment building in a complex under construction toppled over, newspapers reported Sunday.
A worker was killed in the June 27 incident in which the building fell over but otherwise remained almost entirely intact.
The Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post said the protesters marched Saturday through central Shanghai, holding handwritten signs and chanting: «Lotus Riverside, refund (our) homes
The report said uniformed police surrounded the protesters as they marched to the main municipal government offices and held a sit-in on the steps. Protesters told the newspaper a government representative agreed to meet some of them but that the talks were disappointing.
The state-run Shanghai Daily said the homeowners massed outside the government office of Shanghai's suburban Minhang district, the location of the Lotus Riverside apartment compound.
Calls to the information office of the Shanghai municipal government rang unanswered Sunday.
The toppled building is an embarrassment for Shanghai, a showcase city of 20 million in the midst of a construction boom as it prepares to host the 2010 World Expo.
The protest delayed a planned meeting between the homeowners and the developer to discuss compensation.
Government officials who attended the meeting said they could only guarantee payments to owners of units in the building that fell, the Shanghai Daily reported. Buyers of apartments in the development's other buildings have also sought refunds because they fear the entire complex is unsafe. The report said compensation awards would be announced in the coming days.
The building fell because piles of dirt were excavated to build an underground parking garage, according to initial investigation results reported Friday.
Unusually aggressive reports by the state-controlled media have centered on possible collusion between the property developer, the contractor and others supervising the work.
Earlier this week, the government said nine people were «under supervision» in connection with the investigation.