A Vietnam court has given jail terms to nine men for their criminal acts during anti-China riots that broke out in several industrial parks in the southern province of Dong Nai in May.

>> Six sentenced for offenses in anti-China riot in Vietnam

A Vietnam court has given jail terms to nine men for their criminal acts during anti-China riots that broke out in several industrial parks in the southern province of Dong Nai in May. The convicts, most of whom are aged 18-22, were arrested on May 13 for causing public disorder and smashing corporate property in some industrial parks in Nhon Trach District, the local People’s Court said at their trial on Friday.

Each of them was sentenced to a year in prison. Among the guilty, the youngest is Huynh Van Tri, 18, and the oldest is Tran Huu Tho, 36. According to the indictment, at 9:30 pm on May 13, while 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 Vietnam Sea, these nine men and many others rushed to many industrial parks in Nhon Trach. Beijing placed the drilling rig in Vietnam’s waters from the beginning of May to July 16 amidst fierce protests from Hanoi and the international community. In the parks, the men loudly screamed and incited others to join their violent acts of causing public disorder and destroying corporate property. Amidst the chaos, police officers tried to dismiss the crowds, prevent sabotage, and restore order and security, but many extremists continued to break the law. Huynh Van Sang, 19, one of the nine, used a tree branch to smash property in the guard house of the Texhong textile factory in the Nhon Trach 2 Industrial Park, while Nguyen Thanh Phong, Sang’s 21-year-old accessory, grabbed an iron bar to strike the company’s name panel. The other convicts, along with many rioters, destroyed the gate of Minh An, another firm, and broke its glass windows. Therefore, police arrested many rioters for investigation. Besides the nine, nearly 30 others are still under investigation and they will be tried in the coming time, the court said.

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