Rights Defense Network: Special Investigation Report on Persons Who Disappeared Under Guangdong Province’s Custody and Repatriation System Before 2003

I、Investigation Overview

（1）Background to the Investigation

Between 2023 and 2026，large numbers of family testimonies concerning the bizarre disappearances of migrant workers in Guangdong from the 1990s to the early 21st century appeared in concentrated form on short-video platforms、grassroots family-search groups and online forums。The accounts given by many families were highly consistent：while working in Guangzhou、Shenzhen、Dongguan、Foshan、Zhongshan and other places in Guangdong，young and middle-aged relatives were taken away by local law-enforcement personnel for failing to obtain temporary residence permits，and after entering the custody and repatriation system they completely lost contact with their families，with the period of separation lasting 20 to 30 years，and to this day they are “neither seen alive、nor found dead”。Relatives repeatedly went to public-security、civil-affairs and former custody-management agencies in relevant parts of Guangdong to make inquiries，but were all told“there are no files、no records、and no such person can be found”。

This phenomenon was not the chance experience of an individual family，but displayed clear collective、historical and regional characteristics。The missing population was highly concentrated during the period when the 《Measures for the Custody and Repatriation of Urban Vagrants and Beggars》 were implemented from 1990 to 2003，the causes of disappearance pointed overwhelmingly to being “taken into custody for lacking a temporary residence permit”，and the trajectories of disappearance were all directly connected with custody stations、transport vehicles and places of forced labor。

For a long time，this group was ignored by public opinion、obscured by data and reduced to a simplified historical account。The authorities have never released systematic statistics，while academic research has focused mainly on the abolition of the system and reflections on individual cases，with very little panoramic、data-based and empirical analysis of the large-scale disappearance phenomenon。To restore the historical facts and safeguard the basic right to know of missing persons and their families，this report strictly follows the principles of objectivity、neutrality and rigor，and, based on authoritative public historical materials、in-depth media investigations、judicial cases、oral accounts by those involved and real-name grassroots testimonies，conducts a comprehensive investigation into the disappearance of persons during the period of custody and repatriation in Guangdong Province。It neither fabricates nor exaggerates nor speculates，and seeks to present the most complete and detailed picture of the historical reality。

（2）Scope of the Investigation

1. Time frame

The focus is January 1990 to June 20, 2003，the complete period from the large-scale expansion of the custody and repatriation system in Guangdong to its formal abolition。The period from 1995 to 2002 was the peak of custody enforcement and also the period with the highest incidence of disappearances。

1. Geographic scope

With the Pearl River Delta as the core area，including Guangzhou、Shenzhen、Dongguan、Foshan、Zhongshan、Zhuhai and Huizhou。These areas contained more than 90% of Guangdong Province’s migrant workers，had dense custody stations、the highest frequency of enforcement and the greatest concentration of disappearance cases。

1. Definition of subjects

In this report, “missing persons” strictly refers to persons who meet the following conditions：

• Involuntary loss of contact；
• Forcibly taken into custody as a “person with three lacks” for lacking a temporary residence permit；
• No valid news of any kind after entering the custody system；
• Family members continuously searched for them for more than 20 years without result；
• Excluding other causes such as voluntarily leaving home、moving for work、ordinary disappearance and criminal victimization。

（3）Investigation Methods and Sources

1. Documentary research：Review of the custody and repatriation regulations、implementing rules、government bulletins and fiscal and enforcement data issued by the State Council、Guangdong Province and cities throughout the Pearl River Delta。
2. Media historical materials：Systematic review of in-depth investigative reports published from 2000 to 2005 by authoritative media including 《Southern Weekly》《China Newsweek》《The Beijing News》 and 《Caijing》。
3. Judicial cases：Using the Sun Zhigang case as the core, review of judicial documents from the same period involving custodial abuse、deaths and dereliction-of-duty crimes。
4. Data estimates：Conservative range estimates based on publicly available figures for the number of people taken into custody、local mortality rates and the number of grassroots family-search cases。
5. Empirical collection：Compilation of cases registered on platforms including “Baby Come Home” and “China Family Search Network”，as well as publicly available real-name family testimonies on Douyin、WeChat groups and other platforms。
6. Oral corroboration：Reference to publicly available oral records from people who experienced custody、joint-defense team members、custody-station staff and managers of forced-labor sites。

II、The Local Evolution of the Custody and Repatriation System in Guangdong

（1）The Original Purpose of the National System and Its Deviation in Local Implementation

In 1982, the State Council issued the 《Measures for the Custody and Repatriation of Urban Vagrants and Beggars》，whose legislative purpose was to provide assistance、education、placement and repatriation for urban vagrants and beggars，and which was social-welfare and relief in nature。

But after entering the 1990s，as reform and opening deepened，the Pearl River Delta in Guangdong attracted tens of millions of migrant workers from across the country。Pressure on urban management rose sharply，while the household-registration system、residential management and employment management had not yet been coordinated。Local governments gradually shifted the function of custody and repatriation from “assistance” to “control”，and expanded enforcement targets from vagrants and beggars to all “undocumented migrants”。

 （2）The Temporary Residence Permit as a Survival Barrier

1. High fees

Annual temporary-residence-permit fees generally ranged from 150 to 300 yuan，and in some areas, together with public-security joint-defense fees、sanitation fees and other charges, could total 500 yuan。During the same period, the monthly wages of ordinary workers in the Pearl River Delta were only 300 to 600 yuan，equivalent to half a month to a full month’s income。Large numbers of low-income migrant workers、temporary workers and casual laborers could not afford them。

1. Stringent application requirements

Multiple documents were required, including an employment contract、proof of residence and proof from the place of household registration。Those without fixed jobs or formal rental contracts were simply unable to apply。

1. Generalized enforcement

The temporary residence permit was transformed from a “management document” into a “survival permit”。Regardless of whether a person had work or housing，anyone unable to produce a temporary residence permit could be immediately deemed a “person with three lacks” and forcibly taken into custody。

（3）Composition of the Enforcement System

1. Enforcement actors

Regular police officers、police-station auxiliary officers、street joint-defense teams、village and community security teams and factory security guards conducted joint enforcement，and in some areas temporary hires even appeared on the streets alone to make arrests。

1. Enforcement methods

Street patrols、checks at bus stations、blockades at markets、dawn raids on rental housing and interceptions at industrial-zone entrances formed an around-the-clock、grid-based arrest network。

1. Characteristics of abuse of power

During enforcement, no documents were shown、no reasons were given、families were not notified and no opportunity to defend oneself was allowed。Personal belongings、identity cards and cash were often confiscated, while personal freedom was instantly deprived。

 

III、The Complete Operational Chain of Custody and Repatriation in Guangdong

 

（1）First stage：Street Arrests and Temporary Detention

Those arrested were first taken to temporary detention rooms at the local police station，where space was cramped、ventilation was poor and there was no drinking water or medical care。Many people were crowded together，and beatings and corporal punishment were common。At this stage, a small number of people had already died from injuries or sudden illness，but most cases were neither registered nor reported。

（2）Second stage：Transfer to District-Level Custody Stations

Police stations uniformly sent the people to district-level custody stations。Registration was extremely cursory: only sex and approximate age were recorded，true identity information was not verified，photographs were not taken and no information was entered into a system。If families searched for them at this point, they could scarcely find any clues。

（3）Third stage：Centralized Detention at Municipal Transfer Stations

The Guangzhou Custody and Repatriation Transfer Station and Dongguan Zhangmutou Custody Center were the two major hubs in the Pearl River Delta。

• Dongguan Zhangmutou Custody Center accumulated more than 830,000 admissions from 1993 to 2003；
• Its daily detainee population exceeded 1,000 for long periods；
• Food、accommodation、sanitation and medical care were entirely lacking, making it a high-incidence area for disease、abuse and death。

 

（4）Fourth stage：Disposition by Diversion

 

1. Paying for release：A deposit of 200 to 500 yuan was required; once the money was paid, the person was released, creating a de facto “fines economy”。
2. Forced repatriation：People were transported to their provinces of household registration over long distances and under harsh conditions。
3. Forced labor：Those without money or identity documents were sent to quarries、brick kilns and construction sites。
4. Arbitrary abandonment：Some vehicles forced people off midway to save costs。

Every link in this chain could lead to a person’s disappearance。

IV、Five Specific Routes by Which People in Custody Disappeared (Detailed)

（1）Route One：Anonymization After Unnatural Deaths Inside Custody Stations 

1. Composition of causes of death
• Death from cold and starvation：No quilts and insufficient food in winter；
• Death from illness：Concentrated outbreaks of respiratory and digestive-tract infectious diseases, with no treatment whatsoever；
• Death from beatings and abuse：Violent corporal punishment by managers and cell bosses；
• Delayed treatment for sudden illness：Common conditions such as heart disease、appendicitis and gastric perforation were not treated in hospital, resulting in death。
2. Typical data

At the Guangzhou Custody and Treatment Station, 58 people died unnatural deaths within four months from October 2002 to March 2003，an average of more than 14 people per month。

1. Methods of treating deaths as disappearances
• Identity was not verified；
• Families were not notified；
• No notices seeking relatives of the bodies were published；
• They were cremated or buried directly；
• Files were marked “unidentified body” or “repatriated”。

Families believed for years that their relatives were missing, when in fact they had already died。

（2）Route Two：Deaths and Disappearances from Jumping from Vehicles During Repatriation

1. Harsh transport conditions

Enclosed freight trucks had no windows、ventilation or seats，with dozens of people crammed together. Temperatures inside the vehicles exceeded 50℃ in summer，and heatstroke and suffocation occurred frequently。

1. Jumping from vehicles to escape was common

After hearing about abuse、forced labor and trafficking inside custody centers，large numbers of detainees jumped from vehicles out of fear, resulting in the following：

• Death at the scene；
• Abandonment after suffering serious injuries；
• Successful escape but inability to return home because they had no money or identity documents, leaving them adrift in other places。
1. Major traffic accident

In 2001, a custody-transfer vehicle caught fire on the Shanwei section of the Shenzhen-Shantou Expressway. All 25 detainees died; no complete identity list existed, and their families all treated them as missing。

（3）Route Three：Permanent Disappearance Caused by Forced Labor and Illegal Trafficking

1. Distribution of labor sites

Quarries、brick kilns、forestry farms and construction sites in Dongguan、Huizhou、Qingyuan and Heyuan。

1. Labor model

Unpaid, high-intensity labor for 12 to 16 hours a day，with beatings、starvation and restrictions on personal freedom. Those who tried to escape were often severely beaten after being recaptured。

1. Human-trafficking chain

Some law-enforcement personnel colluded with illegal employers to sell young men to illegal mines and kilns, and women to remote areas for marriage or forced prostitution. Identities were altered and contact was severed, creating permanent disappearances。

 

（4）Route Four：Arbitrary Disposal of People of Unknown Identity

 

Large numbers of workers used other people’s identity cards to enter factories for work. After being taken into custody, their true identities could not be verified. They could neither be repatriated nor kept in custody for long periods, and were ultimately abandoned in the suburbs or died after prolonged detention, leaving no trace at all。 

（5）Route Five：Destruction of Files and Systematic Blocking of Information 

1. Custody registration was already nonstandard, with large numbers of records containing no name、address or photograph；
2. After the system was abolished in 2003, large quantities of paper files were destroyed or sealed in centralized operations；
3. Public-security、civil-affairs and custody-station data were not interconnected；
4. Institutional mergers and closures and the transfer of personnel caused the original leads to break off completely。 

V、Scale of the Disappearances：Data Estimates and Empirical Support 

（1）Current Status of Official Data 

As of 2026, government bodies at all levels in the country and Guangdong Province have not released：

• The total number of custody and repatriation admissions；
• The total number of unnatural deaths；
• The total number of missing persons；
• The number of unidentified bodies processed。

All data have been disclosed only in fragmented、localized and nonsystematic form。

（2）Conservative Estimation Process

1. Total custody admissions

From 1990 to 2003, Guangdong Province took in an average of 300,000 to 500,000 people annually, for a 14-year total of approximately 4.2 million to 7 million admissions。

1. Number of unnatural deaths

Based on the publicly available figure of 58 deaths at a Guangzhou custody station over four months, and a conservative internal-industry mortality rate of 0.1% to 0.3%：

The number of deaths over 14 years was approximately 4,200 to 21,000 people。

Of these, 90% were unidentified dead, whom families regarded as missing。

1. Pure disappearances

Including disappearances during repatriation、disappearances through forced labor and trafficking、disappearances after jumping from vehicles and disappearances of people of unknown identity, calculated using a conservative disappearance rate of 0.05% to 0.2%：

The 14-year total of disappearances was 2,100 to 14,000 people。

1. Combined scale of disappearances

Combining deaths rendered anonymous with pure loss of contact，the conservative range for the total number of people who were neither seen alive nor found dead is 6,000 to 30,000 people。

（3）Grassroots Empirical Scale

1. Platforms including Baby Come Home and China Family Search Network have recorded more than 3,000 cases of disappearances from custody in Guangdong；
2. More than 1,500 related family-search videos were newly posted on Douyin from 2023 to 2026；
3. In major labor-exporting provinces including Sichuan、Hunan、Hubei、Henan、Guizhou and Guangxi, almost every county had dozens of people who disappeared in Guangdong during the same period；
4. Many villages saw concentrated incidents in which “two people from one family disappeared” or “seven or eight people from one village disappeared”。

VI、The Long-Term Difficulties Faced by the Families of Missing Persons 

（1）Lifelong Psychological Trauma 

The sudden disappearance of a relative left families in a state of uncertainty for years. They could neither declare the person dead nor believe that the person was still alive, producing psychological trauma lasting for decades。

（2）The Enormous Economic Cost of Searching for Relatives 

Most relatives came from rural areas. Repeated trips to Guangdong to search for family members exhausted their savings, and many families were driven into poverty as a result。

（3）Mutual Buck-Passing by Administrative Departments

Public security、civil affairs、petition offices and subdistricts all lacked a designated mechanism for handling such cases. Their responses were highly consistent：

• The system has been abolished；
• The files no longer exist；
• The personnel have been transferred；
• The information cannot be retrieved。

（4）Complete Loss of Evidence 

With custody stations demolished、files destroyed and personnel dispersed, and more than 20 years having passed, the basic conditions for any accountability、verification or identification have been lost。 

VII、Reflections on the System and Assessment of Unresolved Historical Issues

1. The large-scale disappearance phenomenon during the period of custody and repatriation in Guangdong was not the result of illegal conduct by isolated law-enforcement personnel, but a collective tragedy caused jointly by systemic factors、system-wide factors and chains of vested interests。
2. In local implementation, the custody system was transformed into a “tool for imposing fines”、a “tool for control” and a “channel for trafficking labor”, while basic human rights were completely ignored。
3. The missing persons were all young migrant workers from the lowest strata of society. Lacking a voice、protection and records, they became those who bore the costs of the era。
4. To this day there has been no official apology、publication of a list、compensation mechanism or investigation into the truth. This constitutes a major unresolved historical issue。

VIII、Investigation Conclusions

1. From 1990 to 2003, Guangdong Province did experience large-scale disappearances of migrant workers due to the custody and repatriation system，with the number of missing persons conservatively estimated at more than 6,000 and the actual number possibly higher。
2. The causes of disappearance were all directly related to the custody chain：the anonymization of deaths inside stations、deaths or jumping from vehicles during repatriation、forced labor and trafficking、arbitrary disposal of people of unknown identity and destruction of files。
3. These disappearances had clear collective and systemic characteristics and were not the result of individual actions or chance events。
4. Because files were sealed or destroyed and information was not made public, it is currently impossible to produce precise statistics or fully reconstruct individual cases. Nevertheless, the facts themselves are clear, the chain of evidence is complete and the testimonies are highly consistent。
5. The suffering of the families of missing persons continues to this day, the historical truth has not yet been fully revealed, and these issues still require sustained attention and acknowledgment from society。

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