Nha Trang City People's Committee has just dismissed the vice chairman of Vinh Hoa Ward People's Committee, Tran Le Huu Tho, who recently stirred public anger when trying to punish a local resident after he went out to buy bread.
Tran Van Em (in black shirt) shows his papers to an official on July 18. (Photo from a video clip)
Chairman of Nha Trang City People's Committee, Nguyen Sy Khanh, on the morning of August 21, told Dantri/Dtinews that he has signed a decision to dismiss Tho, which will take effect from September 1, 2021.
"Tho also submitted a resignation letter to us on July 26," the Nha Trang Chairman said.
Earlier on July 18, Tran Le Huu Tho as head of Vinh Hoa Ward Covid-19 Prevention and Control team stopped a motorbike driver to check his papers as the area was carrying out social distancing rules.
The motorbike driver, Tran Van Em, who is a worker at a nearby construction project, showed all his papers as required.
When being asked about the reasons for his travelling, Em said that he went out to buy bread, which he thought legitimate as it was an essential food. However, the official insisted that bread was not an essential food.
In the video clip which was recorded by the official and was then posted on some social websites, the official repeatedly claimed that going to buy bread was a "non-essential" activity that violated the Covid-19 social distancing regulations.
The official also used some threatening words towards the worker, who did not say much in reaction. He seized the worker's papers and motorbike and called to ask the construction company to sack him for his violations.
The clip went viral on many social websites and many members of the public expressed anger about the official's explanations and punishment on the worker.
Nha Trang Chairman Nguyen Sy Khanh then sent a letter of apology to the worker, saying that the official at Vinh Hoa Ward did not fully understand Nha Trang’s social distancing order.
Khanh acknowledged that Tho’s conduct and communication with the worker was improper, and said he would take responsibility.
Following the chairman's action, the worker got his papers and motorbike back and his company also called him back to work.
Tho was initially given a reprimand as a punishment.
