A Vietnam court has given jail terms to six young men for their criminal acts during an anti-China riot that broke out in several industrial parks in the southern province of Dong Nai in May.
>> 14 jailed for criminal offenses in anti-China riot in Vietnam
The defendants, aged between 18 and 21, were charged with “causing public disorder” pursuant to Article 245 of the Penal Code, the Bien Hoa City People’s Court in the province said at their trial on Wednesday. Nguyen Tuan Vu, 19, of the southern province of An Giang, who led this group in their actions, was sentenced to two years and six months, while his five accomplices got sentences from one to two years in jail. According to the indictment, from May 12 to 16, a large number of people in Dong Nai took to the streets to protest China’s illicit placement of the Haiyang Shiyou 981 oil rig in Vietnamese waters in the East Sea. Taking advantage of the protests, Vu and his five accomplices loudly screamed, committed extreme actions and incited others to join their violent acts by causing public disorder and smashing corporate property at many businesses in several industrial parks, including the Bien Hoa 2 IP, Loteco IP and Amata IP.
These extreme actions caused great damage to many businesses that had to halt operations for repairs. Such violent acts have badly affected the State’s policy to attract foreign investment to Vietnam in general and to Dong Nai in particular, the indictment said. Amidst the chaos caused by the riot, police officers tried to dismiss the crowds, prevent acts of sabotage, and restore order and security, but many extremists continued to break the law.
Therefore, police arrested a number of rioters for investigation. The police later charged the six young men with the above charges while giving administrative penalties to 28 others who only committed minor offenses in the riot. On November 28, the Trang Bom District People’s Court, also in Dong Nai Province, gave jail terms to 14 men for their criminal acts during a similar anti-China riot that broke out in two industrial parks -- Ho Nai and Song May -- in the district on May 14. The 14, aged between 18 and 40, were sentenced to six months and nine days to 13 months in prison on charges of causing public disorder and destroying property.
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