Farmer commits suicide over birth policy fines  

缴不起2万余元罚款 贵州一农民割腕自杀

Wang Guangrong's son holds the portrait of his deseased father. [dnkb.com.cn]

(ECNS)-- A farmer with four children in Guizhou province has killed himself because he was unable to pay fines for violating the family planning policy, according to reports on Tuesday.

Wang, 37, and his wife had three daughters and a son. Under China's family planning policy, some rural couples are allowed to have another child if the first is a girl.

Prior to March 3, Wang learned that the local primary school required certification that all of his fines had been paid. If not, it wouldn't admit his children.

Wang went to the local family planning service office and was told that he had to pay 22,500 yuan ($3,613), including social compensation fees and fines for his youngest daughter and son.

After hearing a rumor that a neighbor had only paid half of their fines, the couple borrowed 6,000 yuan from Wu's mother in the hopes of getting a discount.

But one week before March 3, officials told Wang that he had to pay at least 18,000 yuan, and that the fines would be doubled if he couldn't hand in the money before March 3.

According to a villager named Tang Yongjiang, besides an old house, Wang only had a pig and five chickens. Such a large sum of money was an "astronomical figure" to him, Tang said.

The local government has denied that Wang's death was due to the fines, adding that Wang's four children had been admitted by local schools on March 3.

The government offered Wang's family 60,000 yuan for aid and funeral costs, and promised to build a new house for them.

Farmer drinks poison after being fined for excess children

A farmer who was unable to pay the fines for excess children he had with his wife, in violation of the family planning policy, drank pesticide to kill himself before a village head in Gongbao village, Handan, Hebei Province.