7 December 2007, Wang Fengyou was arrested by the public security bureau in Liaoning for disruption of public order after thousands of ant farmers staged public protests outside government buildings which it was alleged he instigated. His arrest and confession was shown on local television, and he admitted that he had been responsible for the protests. The company has since gone into liquidation. Many of the investors have lost their family's life savings or their retirement pensions; several have committed suicide. One man set fire to himself in Tiananmen Square. Many of the ant farmers believe they are being monitored by the government, particularly after suggestions that they may disrupt the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. Lindsey Hilsum, a British correspondent for Channel 4 News, reported investors were too frightened to show their faces on camera; several were briefly arrested after she interviewed them, and others had been beaten by police for protesting. Investors had been told to register with the local government, but there are reports that compensation will not be paid. In February 2008, another man was sentenced to death in the same province of China after defrauding investors of three billion yuan (US$417 million) in a similar ant-breeding scheme. References External links Company website Privately held companies of China Defunct companies of China Health care companies of China Chinese companies established in 1999 Pyramid and Ponzi schemes Crime in China