Around 10PM of January 8, Vietnam’s authorities deployed around 1,000 police officers, including 360 in 18 vehicles from special units of the Ministry of Public Security to Dong Tam commune. Police carried out RAM 2000 MK3 armored vehicles, equipped with 12.7 mm machine guns with powerful firepower, wave breakers and Long-range Acostic Device (LARD) to the area. An activist took pictures of the moving forces while being summoned to a local police station.
At around 4AM of January 9, police started their attacks, targeting the private residence of Mr. Le Dinh Cong, a son of elderly leader Le Dinh Kinh. Many loud explosions glow like firecrackers everywhere, the villagers alerted each other about their enemy’s entry.
Dong Tam’s entire population is surrounded by a huge police force. Nobody can enter, nor can anyone get out of Dong Tam right now. Internet was cut off. Phone network also was cut. Many people were blocked when they tried to go out of the village as police used pepper spray and firecrackers to attack them. From the phone heard children screaming, women sobbed with indignation and helplessness.
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Slogan: protect land with your lives
16h13 dated January 10th, 2020 – News update from Facebook Trịnh Bá Tư:
Mr. Kinh pass away
Bad news. January 10, 2010
Mr. Bui Viet Hieu, who had emergency surgery last night at the 103 Hospital.
12hPM today, Bui Hong Minh, Mr. Hieu’s daughter found out him in the surgical ward with seriously burn. The family can only look at him through the window at lunch time, Mr. Hieu was wrapped around his body, and the police did not allow to come near with reason that ‘dangerous criminals”. It seem that he was hit by a bullet.
4 peoples of Le Dinh Kinh’s family was released this morning, received a notice from the People’s Committee of Dong Tam Commune to receive Mr. Le Dinh Kinh’s dead body.
The family just came to the Commune committee, but did not sign Delivery Note because they could not allowed to see Kinh’s face.
Police is carrying dead body of Kinh’s son, Le Dinh Chuc back home.
Currently Dong Tam has severely imposed on the whole commune.
14h23 dated January 10th 2020: Updated from Facebook Trịnh Bá Phương:
A villager let me know 5 people including 1 neighbor and 4 members in Mr Kinh ‘s family have been released. The 3 months baby has been saved by medical staff.
I had been thinking of this baby when being detained in police station, now I cried.
9h22AM January 10, 2020: News from Journalist Huynh Ngoc Chenh Facebook:
It seem some thing very serious happenning on Mr.Kinh, all information are blocked, 30 people arrested to keep secret. Police inform dead rapidly…
Most activists are under watched carefully in Ha Noi.
??????
24h30: Trinh Ba Phuong was released from Police station – News from his Mother Can Thi Theu, a very famous dissident imprisoned twice by Ha noi police.
22h25: State Media said 30 people have been arrested in Dong Tam
22h00: News on RFA – HRW call on Vietnamese Government to allow international observers to enter Dong Tam
6.03PM: News from Facebook Le Nguyen Huong Tra:
According to the Hanoi Police, three soldiers were burned alive!
No one is coming in and out of Dong Tam. Phone and Internet networks were cut. Children were forced not to go to school. Mr. Le Dinh Kinh, a former party secretary of Dong Tam Commune Party Committee, who is considered to be the spiritual leader of Dong Tam people, is surrounded by police.
There is a lot of unconfirmed news about Kinh’s extremely bad situation!
5.23PM: News from Trinh Ba Tu Facebook:
The people of Dong Tam called out saying communists attacked and took away the whole family of Mr. Le Dinh Kinh’s family (about 30 people) and some others. Mr. Le Dinh Cong’s son was shot with broken arms, his 3-month-old nephew was suffered seriously from tear gas and may not have survived (so they took both the mother and the 3-month-old infant), Le Dinh Cong may have died when the land robbers exploded to destroy walls to arrest people. Dong Senh 59-hectare farmland was occupied by fences and barbed wire. In the repressive force, there are also criminal gangs and many houses have been looted.
The news that the three police officers had died in Dong Tam needs verification. People think that this may be the fake news released by the communists.
4.51PM: News from Trinh Ba Tu Facebook:
A 3-month-old grandson of Mr. Le Dinh Kinh who was attacked with tear gas may not have survived.
(News from Ms. Nguyen Nguyen Binh)
4h24 PM: News from Nguyen Nguyen Binh Facebook:
A vilager in Dong Tam said:
20 people were arrested upto now.
All road in and out are blocked and watched by police. Students are prohibited for 3 days.
Some Lawyers are coming but they can not get through, even 700m far from village only.
Securities in green suits threw tear-gars into peolpe house, some break door and rop things.
A 3-month-old grandson of Mr. Le Dinh Kinh who was attacked with tear gas may not have survived.
People could hardly fight against huge force, so the news that the three police officers had died in Dong Tam may not correct, no one in village saw police dead.
Police terrify and arrest people and also building coverages for 59 Ha in Dong Senh with huge concrete …
12AM: News on VnExpress said:
Major General To An Xo – chief of staff and the spokesman of the Ministry of Public Security said “The incident in Dong Tam is under control, the police forces continue to be present at the scene to stabilize the situation.” Regarding the number of people arrested and prosecuted, Mr. Xo said “will announce later.”
11.45AM: updates from journalist Truong Chau Huu Danh and newspapers in Vietnam said that 4 people died in the Dong Tam crackdown:
In Dong Tam attack, 3 police officers and one citizen died …
The land had to be exchanged for blood and the lives of so many people.
So hurt. In the end, all the dead were victims.
Please do not comment excessively at this time!
Official announcement from the Ministry of Public Security’s website about 4 deaths and 1 injured person in Dong Tam
During the construction process, on the morning of January 9, 2020, some local individuals had opposing acts, using grenades, petrol bombs, launchers, etc. to attack police forces and law enforcement officials, leading to deaths of 3 police officers and one opponent, and another oponent got injured.
The police units have restrained and arrested individuals violating the laws, launching probe to investigate the case to handle them in accordance with the law.
Currently, relevant units are building the fence of Mieu Mon Airport as planned.
Originally posted on the Ho Chi Minh City Police Department’s website
11.30AM: News from Facebook Hoang Dung said that the private residence of Bui Thi Minh Hang, who had very early information from the people of Dong Tam, was surrounded, had a power outage, and communication was cut off although she was in Vung Tau, very far from the attacked Dong Tam.
Bui Hang’s house is located in Vung Tau more than a thousand kilometers from Hanoi, but because she was informed by the Dong Tam people, the house was cut off and kept watchful from the dogs.
Uyen Thuy’s Facebook comment on the Dong Tam attack January 9, 2020:”Trump deployed 4,500 troops to Middle East to protect US citizens. Nguyen Phu Trong sent 1,000 soldiers to persecute Dong Tam villagers. What do you think?”
7.50AM: Dong Tam leaderss were arrested, Le Dinh Cong’s son was shot, his daughter-in-law was beaten and arrested both mother and two small children.
Comment from Le Cong Dinh on the Dong Tam attack January 9, 2020:”Unless military campaigns, French soldiers did not attack people at 4AM to grab land and assets as Vietnam’s police forces do today”
There are two new Fanpage pages on Dong Tam that have started to upload news and video images:
Security came to Trinh Ba Phuong’s private house to arrest him while he was conducting a live stream on Facebook.
6.45AM: Trinh Ba Phuong was arrested by the security guards right after he conducted a live streaming to update Dong Tam’s situation on Facebook.
5.50AM: Security is still attacking Kinh house.
A 3-month-old baby was hit by tear gas.
About 20 security men are surrounding Trinh Ba Phuong’s house.
5.20: One of the people whose arm was broken was Le Dinh Cong’s son and grandson of Mr. Le Dinh Kinh.
The attacking police forces didn’t goe to Dong Senh area but attacked the village Dong Tam
5.13AM: Many women are brutally beaten, tear gas continues to explode. Mr. Le Dinh Kinh’s house is still being surrounded by hundreds of police.
Riot police shot while trying to break down Kinh’s door.
People around the isolated village could not move to support. There are only some entrenched people in the house
3AM of January 9, 2020: Patrol units from Dong Tam informed that the repressive force with motorized vehicles and state-of-the-art equipment gathered 3 km from the village. Representatives of the people made a declaration of death to keep the land.
10PM of January 8, 2020: people discovered a convoy of dozens of cars heading to Dong Tam, someone filmed a clip that was confiscated and arrested …
The repressive force with specialized weapons “marched” all night to prepare to attack Dong Tam
Hoàng Trung reported from Ha noi – Thoibao.de – Thu Thuy Translated
