After long anticipation, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung today presides over a meeting with Haiphong authorities about the coercive repossession of Doan Van Vuon’s land.
During the meeting, the Haiphong City Party Committee is expected to make reports to the PM which clarify three major issues, including wrongdoings in the land allocation and confistication, the reasons for the force used in the withdrawal on January 5 and the purpose behind the destruction of Vuon’s house.
Several ministries and agencies will also make analyses and report on the same issues.
On February 7, Nguyen Van Thanh, Secretary of the municipal Party Committee, chaired a press conference on the forcible repossession of land in Tien Lang District's Vinh Quang Commune, and pointed out five wrongdoings committed by Tien Lang authorities in taking back the land from Doan Van Vuon.
Their wrongdoings included lack of a plan for the use of the land, the absence of any compensation board previous to the execution, the failure to hold a dialogue between Vuon and the party who had signed the land-withdrawal decision and a failure to protect the area. All of this allegedly led to an ugly confrontation, ending in the destruction of Vuon's home near the time of Tet, along with a public outrage.
During a press conference held by the municipal Party Committee, the the chairman of Tien Lang District People’s Committee Le Van Hien, along with his deputy, Nguyen Van Khanh were suspended.
Besides suspending Hien and Khanh, the committee also said further actions could be taken against Le Van Mai, Head of the District Police, Pham Dang Hoan, the District Party Committee Secretary and Le Thanh Liem, Chairman of the Vinh Quang Commune People’s Committee, for their involvement.
On the afternoon of February 8, Haiphong Police’s investigative agency decided to begin court proceedings against local officials who ordered the demolition the of property.
On January 5, authorities in Tien Lang District had confiscated 19.3 hectares of Vuon's land upon the request of the district People’s Committee.
One day later, they hired a demolition crew to take down Vuon and Doan Van Quy’s houses, which were not even located in the area subject to forced relocation.
Still, authorities in Haiphong, from communal to municipal levels, denied any responsibility.
Meanwhile, three workers, Vu Van Ket, 40, and Do Van Doan, 44, and Dang Van Tai, 25 confessed that they had been hired to demolish the residences by Nguyen Van Khanh, Deputy Chairman of the District People’s Committee; Le Thanh Liem, Chairman of the Commune People’s Committee; and Pham Dang Hoan, Commune Party Committee Secretary.
On the morning of February 8, the investigative agency summoned Khanh, Liem, Hoan, as well as Le Van Hien, Chairman of Tien Lang District People’s Committee to further investigate the demolitions.
A few days ago, the Tien Lang Brackish Water Aquaculture Joint Branch proposed the Prime Minister to dismiss an additional eight local officials for their involvement in the land confiscation from farmer Doan Van Vuon.
Currently, local residents in Tien Lang are waiting for the time when the PM will come to the final decision to deal with Tien Lang authorities’ wrongdoings.
Vuon and Quy’s houses were destroyed
Vuon’s shrimp ponds were also destroyed after the confiscation
Le Van Hien, Chairman of Tien Lang District People’s Committee (centre) temporarily suspended
Nguyen Thi Thuong, wife of Vuon camped out on the ruins of the site