Thus, the war of Hanoi authorities against Dong Tam people broke out at 4AM of January 9, 2020.
The purpose of this attack was to steal 59 hectares of agricultural land of the people of Dong Tam. They mobilized thousands of police officers with weapons and other vehicles.
Police closely monitored many activists, freelance journalists and Facebookers several days prior to the attack in a bid to prevent them from going to Dong Tam.
According to Facebooker Pham Minh Vu, around 10PM of January 8, dozens of vehicles were equipped with military equipment, including about 18 troop transport vehicles with about 360 soldiers of the Mobile Police Command (K20) of the Ministry of Public Security, along with city and district police forces up to 1,000 troops, with armored vehicles RAM 2000 MK3 equipped with 12.7 mm machine guns, wave breakers, Long Range Acostic Device (LRAD) in military vehicles were going to Dong Tam. Some pictures of police moving were taken by an activist who was on his way to a local police station as the police requested.
At 2.54AM, people of Dong Tam reported that more than 1,000 of riot police were deployed in Ba Tha near Dong Tam area. They rushed into the house to search although the houses were only women and children.
The sound of an alarm, the sound of a gun shooting, electric poles burned …
Many women and women were brutally beaten, tear gas guns continued to explode. The house of Le Dinh Kinh was tightly surrounded. Thousands of people have sealed off all entrances to the village and divided each house.
They sprayed pepper spray at Mr. Le Dinh Cong’s house, in which a woman and a 3-month-old baby born. The woman did not know what to do while crying sobbingly and panickedly calling Bui Thi Minh Hang.
Trinh Ba Phuong live streamed right in front of his door while dozens of security officers were watching nearby. He broadcasted about 6’ 18’’ and police took him away. According to the content of the live stream, the people of Dong Tam said that the police number was about 1,000. They established a control point in Ba Tha to block all the roads to Dong Tam. They threw tear gas and unknown grenades, which make injured people very painful and sharp. Police were also attacking elderly people, causing serious injuries in their arms and feets. Kinh’s grandson, Kinh, was shot with a broken arm, one did not know whether he was alive or dead. As police threw a tear gas at the house, many people collapsed and there were only one or two individual contacted with outsiders.
Thus, the bandits did not go straight to Dong Senh but attacked the village first.
The people of Dong Tam broadcast live calling for national and international attention and said that people will be determined to fight to the last breath.
All documents show that the 59-hectare area of Dong Senh is agricultural land of farmers. In the opinion of the people of Dong Tam, if they want to take this land, they must have a decision to take it. But the Hanoi authorities are not in that direction, determining to use police and weapons to seize this land. Perhaps, they were afraid to follow the provisions of the law, they are notorious for losing people, even if they lose legally. That is, they must be right, never wrong and must show their power.
By resolutely attacking Dong Tam, perhaps the authorities thought they had nothing to lose. “What’s” here is about prestige, honor, the face that they tried so hard to hide. Other than that, they still have a lot: the army is well trained, technical equipment, weapons and ammunition they do not lack. They just lack the righteousness and people’s support.
A Dong Tam resident said that early this morning, when attacking the village, the commander banged on the door and shouted, “Surrender to live or resists and die?
As such, they formally regard the people as enemies and combat targets.
Nguyễn Tường Thuỵ (Vice Chairman of IJAVN – Independent journalist association of Vietnam)
Trung Nam from Da Nang – Thoibao.de (translated)
>>> Update: Police attacked Dong Tam village at 4AM of Jan 9, State Media Reports Deaths of 3 Policemen and 1 Citizen
