The Hai Phong City People’s Court yesterday opened the trial for five former officials who were charged with destroying property, being irresponsible and causing serious consequences” in a forced land eviction in Vinh Quang Commune, Tien Lang District last year.

Four of the defendants, Nguyen Van Khanh, former deputy chairman of the district People’s Committee, Pham Xuan Hoa, former head of the district Natural Resources and Environment Office, Pham Dang Hoan, former secretary of the commune's Party Committee, and Le Quang Liem, former chairman of the commune People’s Committee are being prosecuted for destroying property as stipulated in Clause 3, Article 143 of the Penal Code.

The other defendant, Le Van Hien, former chairman of the district People’s Committee cum deputy secretary of the district Party Committee, was charged with “being irresponsible and causing serious consequences” under Clause 1, Article 285 of the Penal Code. Five lawyers are defending the defendants at the trial, which attracted the presence of local and foreign correspondents. The victims are Doan Van Vuon, 50, his wife Nguyen Thi Thuong, 43, Doan Van Quy, 47, and his wife Pham Thi Bau, 31. According to the indictment from the Hai Phong City People’s Procuracy on January 7, the District People’s Committee issued a decision on November 24, 2011 to force Vuon to return 19.3 hectares of aquatic farmland, as the lease term had expired. Vuon did not agree to the withdrawal.

On the same day, the Committee issued a plan on forced land withdrawal to take back the land from Vuon. Accordingly, Hien assigned Nguyen Van Khanh, Pham Xuan Hoa and Le Thanh Liem to implement the plan.

However, on December 28, 2011 Khanh signed a notice on deploying forces to pull down the houses in the eviction area.  Khanh later, on January 5, 2012, ordered Hoa, Liem, Hoan and others to dismantle Vuon and Quy’s houses. The destruction caused a total damage estimated to be over VND295 million (US$14,000). The same day, Vuon and his relatives used shotguns and homemade landmines to resist the forces that executed the eviction, causing injuries to seven policemen and soldiers. At the trial on April 5, 2013, Vuon was sentenced to 5 years in jail for attempted murder. In court yesterday, the five defendants admitted to part of the wrongdoings mentioned in the indictments. Khanh said he “did not want” to destroy these houses but he had to because it had been included in a resolution from the authorities. Meanwhile,  Liem and Hoan told the court that it was Khanh who directed the destruction and that they did not know about it until the destruction was done. However, Liem and Hoan said they took a part of the responsibility for the destruction and volunteered to pay VND70 million each to partly make up for the damage suffered by the victims. Hien also admitted that he had committed irresponsible actions that lead to the forced land eviction and the destruction. Present in court was one of the victims, Vuon, who asked the court to reduce penalties on Khanh while increasing punishment on the other defendants.  The trial continues today and is expected to run until April 10.