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Four days after announcing stricter punishments for scamming tourists in Hanoi, police have busted 6.
Scam artists arrested by the Hoan Kiem District Police (Photo by Huu Nghi)
Vice Director of the Hoan Kiem District Police, Pham Van Thoi, released the information on July 13.
As reported previously, Hanoi’s Old Quarter, specifically the Hoan Kiem Lake area, has been the site of tourist disruption for some time now.
Thoi said the culprits were caught in the act of forcing tourists to take pictures then asking them to pay and pressuring them to buy their products with high prices. They pretended to be street vendors with bamboo carrying poles. When police approached, some ran away, dropping their goods in hopes that police would not have evidence to use against them.
Since July 9, the Hoan Kiem District Police have expanded operations to find and punish violators in the district with 28 to 30 police officers working each day in target areas such as Hoan Kiem Lake, Old Quarter, Trang Tien, Trang Thi and Hai Ba Trung streets.
“According new regulations, violators can be under custody for 12 hours while undergoing punishment procedures. However, the can only be fined for causing public disorder at VND80,000 (USD 4),” added Thoi. “We caught and penalised 28 violators in total from April to June 2010. After being fined, these subjects still continue their scam.”
Thoi shared, “The People’s Committee of Hanoi has just directed the People’s Committee of Hoan Kiem District to impose severe punishments against those who are involved in scams in the district yet, existing regulations do not allow us to be any stricter [than we have already been]. This makes it impossible to completely eliminate this urgent matter. I believe that it’s very necessary to increase punishments.”
Subjects who were captured from July 9 to 12 include Nguyen Thi Thuy, 30, from Chuong My District, Hanoi; Nguyen Thi Khanh, 37, from at Dai Ang, Thanh Tri District, Hanoi; Ha Thi Thoa, 23, from at Ham Tu Commune, Khoai Chau District, Hung Yen Province; Nguen Thi Ha, 27, from Vu Ha Commune, Kien Xuong District, Thai Binh Province; Nguyen Thi Hang, 24, from Team 7, Nong Tien Dong Commune, Nong Cong District, Thanh Hoa Province and Vuong Van Lan, living temporarily at Phuc Tan, Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi.