An aquaculture unit in Haiphong’s Tien Lang District is seeking approval from the Prime Minister to dismiss an additional eight local officials for their involvement in the land confiscation from farmer Doan Van Vuon.
Officials at central level are investigating the Tien Lang land confiscation case
In their proposal to the PM, the Tien Lang Brackish Water Aquaculture Joint Branch suggested dismissing six more district officials for their lax oversight and involvement in encouraging the district People’s Committee in their coercive repossession of Vuon’s land.
Officials named included Bui The Nghia, secretary of the district party committee; Pham Xuan Hoa, head of the district office of natural resources and environment; Vu Van Hoe, head of the district office of justice; Vu Hong Chuan, head of the district department of agitation; and Ngo Ngoc Khanh, head of the district people’s committee’s office.
Chairman of Vinh Quang Communal People’s Committee, Le Thanh Liem, and secretary of the communal party committee, Pham Dang Hoan were also listed for dismissal from their posts for directing the land withdrawal.
The agency also wanted to send a representative to the PM’s meeting scheduled for February 10.
Vu Van Luan, the agency’s secretary, told DTiNews that they disagreed with the municipal government’s decision on February 7 to suspend only four district officials for their wrongdoings in revoking 40 hectares of land allocated to Vuon 19 years ago as they believed the response was not really adequate.
“Nguyen Van Khanh, Vice Chairman of Tien Lang District People’s Committee, who was suspended together with his superior Le Van Hien on February, was forced to act as the had of the withdrawal and was threatened to be dismissed if he refused. Greater efforts should be made to further investigate the case in order to reach the best solution,” Luan noted.
On the afternoon of February 7, the Haiphong City Party Committee suspended Hien and Khanh who directly ordered the forced removal of Vuon’s land.
Besides suspending Hien and Khanh, the committee also said other actions might be taken against Le Van Mai, head of the district police; Pham Dang Hoan, district Party Committee secretary; and Le Thanh Liem, chairman of the Vinh Quang Commune People’s Committee, after their involvements in the case are clarified.
On January 5, 49-year-old farmer Doan Van Vuon refused to comply with Haiphong authorities and involved his family in a shoot out with six police officers who had gone to his house to forcefully take possession of his land.
As well as having his land forcefully repossessed the authorities also demolished the family home, leaving his family camping on the left over rubble.
The local authorities had allotted the land to Vuon’s family in 1993. The term of the land use agreement had expired in 2007. However, Vuon did not agree to its repossession since under the Law on Land that took effect on October 15, 1993, the duration of land allocation is 20 years, not 14 years, as stated by the authorities.
Local residents supported Vuon, saying that Vuon had borrowed VND10 billion (USD475,375) to improve the land, but now the land had been reclaimed and he and his family were not in a position to recover their investment.
