A man in northern Thai Binh City shot five land officials yesterday at the municipal People’s Committee, and then killed himself several hours later. One of the victims has died. The shooting allegedly occurred over a disagreement regarding compensation for site clearance.     The incident took place at the office of the Land Fund Development Center, located on the premises of the People’s Committee on Tran Phu Street at about 2 pm on September 11, when a man walked in and shot five people who were working there. The man escaped after the shooting, but reportedly killed himself later.  A witness who was near the office recalled, “After entering the office, the man asked, “Who is Tu [the Center’s director]?. After being told that Tu was not there, he asked, “Who is Dung?” After indentifying Dung, he shot him, and then four others.” All of the victims, which included one woman, were taken to the Thai Binh General Hospital for emergency treatment, but Vu Ngoc Dung, deputy director of the Center, died due to his fatal condition. The remaining victims are Pham Thi Lan Anh, 36, another deputy director of the Center, and three employees: Nguyen Thanh Duong, 38,  Bui Duc Xuan, also 38, and Vu Cong Cuong, 22. Duong was shot in one of his eyes; Xuan and Cuong weres shot in the head; and Anh suffered a slight injury to her right ear.  Cuong was later transferred to a hospital in Hanoi. According to police, the shooter used a Colt loaded with lead bullets.Suicide

After the shooting, police launched an urgent investigation and identified the attacker as Dang Ngoc Viet, 42, a resident of Ky Ba Ward, Thai Binh City.  Before going to the office to commit the crime, Viet had an argument with a neighbor and splashed dirty water onto him, police said. After the shooting, Viet fled to his hometown of Tra Giang, Kien Xuong District and hid in a pagoda.  While the police were hunting for him, local residents in Tra Giang reported that Viet had killed himself, said Nguyen Hai Truong, chief of the Secretariat of Thai Binh City People’s Committee at 8 pm Wednesday.   Colonel Tran Xuan Thuyet, director of the Thai Binh Province Police, confirmed that a dead man identical to the attacker was found in Tra Giang.  A source said Viet committed suicide by shooting himself in the head.Compensation for site clearance Colonel Thuyet said Viet returned from Ho Chi Minh City, where he had a job, about a week before the shooting. Investigators suspect that Viet committed the crime because he did not agree with the method of compensation carried out by the Land Fund Development Center for site clearance which affected a land plot owned by his family. At a press conference held after the shooting, Thai Binh city authorities said that during the process of compensation for the site clearance, Viet did not consent to receive resettlement land, but proposed that his family be paid in cash. The Land Fund Development Center agreed to his proposal and there had been no significant disagreement between the center and Viet’s family, and his family had not voiced any complaints about the issue, the authorities said. In talking with Tuoi Tre, Nguyen Ngoc Y, chairman of the Thai Binh City People’s Committee, said, “Agencies concerned are investigating to determine whether the shooting is related to any projects in the city or not.” Yesterday the provincial Party Committee and People’s Committee urged police to investigate the cause of the serious case.