Hanoi (AsiaNews / Agencies) - Hundreds of Vietnamese took to the streets in Hanoi and gathered in front of a government office to protest against what they call "illegal confiscation of land" in two different areas on the outskirts of the capital. The protest took place yesterday with at least 600 farmers from the district of Van Giang and Ha Dong district, the urban area of Hanoi. Local sources said that the demonstrators reached the seat of the National Assembly - the Vietnamese parliament - to file formal complaints with regard to a dispute over the land, in a battle that sees them pitted against the local authorities.
Yesterday's demonstration comes on the third day of meetings and discussions of Vietnamese Parliament, involved in the second annual session. The police controller the protesting farmers, but did not intervene to suppress dissent and protest. "We arrived at 9 in the morning - said one villager of Van Giang - and the police there did nothing ...". And after two hours of peaceful protest, people left the area to return to their homes.
Yesterday's was only the latest in a long series of protests in front of government palaces and buildings in Hanoi, since the authorities gave the green light to land confiscation. Earlier this month, about 300 people gathered near the central office of Public Relations, for another peaceful protest. Last June, other demonstrations included the Vietnamese Catholic community (see AsiaNews 25/06/2012 St. John the Baptist, example in the fight against government injustices in Vietnam).
The groups are opposed to the construction the Ecopark, a satellite city that has sparked riots and protests in recent years as well as result in the forfeiture of at least 500 hectares of land. The forced seizure took place in two phases, in 2009 and 2012, but at least 2 thousand families have refused the compensation offered by the authorities because it is judged to be "inadequate".
Meanwhile, investigators have opened a case against the four police officers accused of stealing the properties of a Catholic farmer and destroying his produce. Among those under investigation is Nguyen Van Khanh, former vice president of the Communist Party in Tien Lang, who faces remand in prison for the attack on Peter Doan Van Vuon. Three other officers were released on bail, but must remain under house arrest. The four led the raid of hundreds of agents, to seize Peter Doan Van Vuon's property. The Catholic farmer, in response, launched home-made explosives and opened fire to repel the attack, a showdown that led to his arrest and trial for attempted murder which is still ongoing.