Minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, Dao Ngoc Dung, has asked Dong Nai Province Drug Rehabilitation Centre to release over 200 inmates following continuous recent protests among inmates at the centre.
Police came to prevent hundreds of inmates from trying to escape in Dong Nai Province Drug Rehabilitation Centre on November 6. Photo by VNN
The decision was announced on Monday after authorities in the southern province reported on the latest protest involving hundreds of inmates on November 6.
Over 200 inmates will be temporarily released on bail, including those who are sick or who use drugs but actually aren’t addicted.
Dung urged local police to check and deal with those who started and led the protests. He also asked the centre to find a proper place for the inmates while repairing the facilities which have been badly destroyed in their recent protests.
Minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, Dao Ngoc Dung (right) talked with inmates at Dong Nai Province Drug Rehabilitation Centre
According to the minister, Dong Nai Province Drug Rehabilitation Centre has become over-crowded in recent years. The centre was built to serve between 600-700 inmates but now is struggling to host 1,481, meaning living conditions have worsened for inmates.
Hundreds of inmates in Dong Nai Province Drug Rehabilitation Centre gathered on November 6, asking to be released. They chanted about their bad living conditions and destroyed facilities. 133 inmates escaped. Hundreds of police were sent to settle the situation.
Earlier, 600 inmates escaped from the centre on the evening of October 23. Police were deployed and most of inmates returned.
Vietnam now has over 200 drug rehabilitation centres and around 202,000 drug addicts.
