Police in central Ha Tinh Province detained 16 more people on Sunday for inciting and causing a deadly riot that left one dead and 149 others injured in the Vung Ang Economic Zone in Ky Anh District last week.

>> Over 1,000 arrested in Vietnam riots that left one dead>> Southern Vietnamese provinces pledge safety for foreign investors>> Vietnam promises support to foreign firms, foreigners affected by riots Earlier, police arrested 80 others in the province on the same charges. They have been charged with “causing public disorder,” “intentional assault,” “destroying or deliberately damaging property,” and “stealing property.” Police have also seized many assets that had been stolen by these rioters. The deadly incident occurred last Wednesday afternoon between a group of Vietnamese workers and one of their Chinese co-workers at a construction site of the Formosa project in the economic zone.

The fight was triggered by a few people who angered others when they suggested a Vietnamese man had been beaten to death, said Nguyen Truong, deputy head of a provincial ideology department.

This rumor spread, which led to Vietnamese workers gathering and quarreling with their Chinese co-workers, Truong said, adding that the quarrel later escalated into a fight between the two sides, leaving one dead and 149 others injured. Meanwhile, Nguyen Van Danh, deputy head of the Ky Anh Party Committee, said that the two groups threw stones at each other after they had a row about China’s illegal placement of a drilling platform in Vietnam’s water. Last week also saw 800 people arrested in the southern province of Binh Duong and over 200 others captured in the southern province of Dong Nai for their involvement in riots in several industrial parks in the two localities on May 13 and 14. The riots were provoked by saboteurs who took advantage of peaceful marches against China’s illegal placement of drilling rig Haiyang Shiyou 981 in Vietnamese waters since May 1. The rioters attacked many companies including foreign-invested enterprises, damaging corporate assets, looting property, and even resisting police officers. On May 15, Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung issued an official message to the Ministry of Public Security, relevant ministries, and local authorities, demanding they protect foreign investors.

The premier also required that authorities strictly punish those who instigated the riots. Police and local authorities must call on people not to commit law-breaking acts or follow the incitement of saboteurs but to take part in ensuring order and security, PM Dung said in his message. People should contribute to the protection of the fatherland’s sovereignty in accordance with the country’s laws as well as international law, he added.

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