Socialist Republic of Vietnam

(VNA)  Foreign and domestic reporters have made a field trip to the northwestern province of Dien Bien to inquire into the facts of the case related to social disorder in its border district of Muong Nhe as reported by the press earlier this month.
During the two-day visit on May 26-27, reporters from foreign news agencies, including AFP, Reuters, Kyodo News, NHK and Xinhua, and several domestic press agencies such as the Viet Nam Television and the World and Viet Nam Newspaper, had working sessions with leaders of Dien Bien province and local relevant agencies, to hear the case’s developments, reasons and settlement.

Deputy Chairwoman of the provincial People’s Committee Giang Thi Hoa once again rejected the untrue information about the so-called “unrest” of the Mong ethnic minority group in Muong Nhe district, Dien Bien province, which was continuously reported by several foreign news agencies and media in May.

The news carried by several foreign press agencies stated that the local authorities used force to disperse the “unrest” and “many Mong people involved in the case were arrested and even someone died” were completely a fabrication and bad intention, Hoa emphasised.

In fact, from April 30 to May 6, some extremists in several localities in Muong Nhe used cunning to incite and cheat about the appearance of a “supernatural” force, to lure and coerce thousands of Mong people from everywhere into gathering in Huoi Khon village, in Nam Ke commune in Muong Nhe, in order to execute a scheme to undermine the great national great unity bloc, incite the idea to fight the authorities and make the society disorder by local and foreign extremists.

The Muong Nhe administration’s move to mobilise agencies and mass organisations to take measures to prevent those who led others to conduct extremist acts, such as forming their own management wards with guards, blocking ordinary travel and daily activities of local people in the area and operation of local authorities, detaining on-duty officials and expressing conditions and claims against laws, was absolutely in line with Vietnamese law.

The chairperson noted that while dispersing the crowd, the Muong Nhe authorities did not use force, but only organised working teams of mass organisations to help the people understand the scheme of these bad elements and to voluntarily return to their residential areas. They also provided medical care and treatment for those who were ill, especially the elderly and children, to ensure security and order there.

Mong families from other localities have to date returned to their residential places. The local authorities provided means of transport, money and food for them to return safely. Nobody was reported wounded or killed. A few elements who committed acts violating laws were temporarily detained for educating.

The situation in Muong Nhe returned to normal. People of ethnic groups in Muong Nhe district actively participated in the elections of the 13th National Assembly and People’s Councils at all level for the 2011-2016 term on May 22, with 99.34 percent of the voters going to the polls, Hoa elaborated.

The foreign and domestic reporters also worked with authorities of Muong Nhe district and its commune of Nam Ke, and visited Huoi Khon village, where people gathered from April 30 to May 1 to grasp more clearly the real situation.

Asked about the incident, Giang A Ky and Vang Thi Pao, and some other residents in Huoi Khon village all affirmed that the acts of leading elements were wrong, went counter to the laws, cheated the people and caused more difficulties for the people’s life. They requested the authorities to severely punish these elements, sympathise with the people’s mistake and continue to create better conditions for them to live and work stably.

The working sessions and field trip helped the reporters better understand the Vietnamese Party and State’s consistent policies of ensuring the rights and benefits of the people, the freedom of belief and equality of ethnic communities, while determinedly protecting the law’s strictness.

Viet Nam has always performed policies that prioritise the flow of development investment in ethnic minority people-inhabited, remote, isolated and extremely difficult areas./.