Police in Ea H’leo District in the Central Highlands province of Dak Lak have rolled out a program of exchanging weapons for rice, collecting more than 300 homemade guns in one morning.

The exchange program was held in mountainous Cham Village in Ea Sol Commune, the police said on Friday.

Senior Lieutenant-Colonel Nguyen Cong Hoa, head of the police division in Ea H’leo District, said that Ea Sol Commune is home to many ethnic minority groups that maintain their habit of hunting wild animals.

As such, many families in the commune have made weapons by themselves for hunts, considering them tools of their livelihood.

“Keeping weapons at home might threaten the safety of weapon owners, and other people; and affects the locale’s security,” said Senior Lieutenant-Colonel Hoa.

To protect the residents and ensure the security in the province, the police launched the exchange program to encourage locals to exchange their homemade weapons for rice, he added.

“As soon as the program kicked off, residents in the district were eager to join it. Therefore, the police quickly collected over 300 hand-made guns, Hoa underlined.

The police in Ea H’leo District are calling on residents to hand over dangerous tools and explosives to receive support from the authorities.

A police officer gives bags of rice to resident who hand weapons in to the police in the “Exchanging weapons for rice” program launched by the police in Ea H’leo District in Dak Lak Province. Photo: M.P. / Tuoi Tre

Senior Lieutenant-Colonel Nguyen Cong Hoa exchanges gifts to residents for homemade guns to ensure the security in Dak Lak Province. Photo: M.P. / Tuoi Tre

Earlier on Wednesday, residents in Binh Minh and Binh Son Villages in Ea Tir Commune excitedly handed weapons in to the police and pledged not to store and trade dangerous tools and homemade guns.

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