The Ministry of Public Security will look into a recent highly publicized case, known as Tien Lang case, in which a family in Hai Phong shot and injured six police officers who were executing the decision to revoke 40 hectares of public land rented to the family, a senior official said.

A Tien Lang District's armed force unit surrounded Vuon's house on January 5, 2012 , Photo: Nguoi Lao Dong

Lieutenant General Phan Van Vinh, head of the General Department of Crime Prevention and Control told VnExpress newswire that his agency would examine the case that recently occurred in Tien Lang District, in which Doan Van Vuon led his family to attack policemen with shotguns and home-made mines.

“Whenever dealing with land-related issues, everyone should carefully refer to the 2003 Land Law. The law must be applied fully and accurately. Everybody is equal before the law and must respect the law,” he said.

Asked about what responsibility the local authorities must be held for demolishing Vuon’s house that was located outside the area subject to revocation, the official said he could not have an opinion since his agency had yet to examine the case file, but he said the Tien Lang District authorities must first answer this question. 

“The leaders of Hai Phong City and Tien Lang District have ordered the forced removal, so they have to report to the Prime Minister and relevant agencies.”

The highly controversial headline-making case has reached the attention of Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, who has ordered the chairman of Hai Phong City People's Committee to review the case and submit a detail report on the allocation of the land to Vuon, the revocation decision and the forced removal that happened on January 5.

The Tien Lang District's armed force and mobile police carefully approached Vuon's house during the forced removal (Photo: VnExpress)

Meanwhile, Dr Dinh Xuan Thao, head of the National Assembly’s Legislation Study Institute, told Nguoi Lao Dong newspaper that the local authorities had unlawfully revoked the land, since they either had not enough knowledge of law or had thought that the person subject to their revocation order was ignorant of law.

The district authorities must pay compensation to Vuon’s family for destroying his house and clarify the responsibility of the person who ordered the demolition, since there is no law that allows them to do so, Thao said.

In addition, the use of armed force by the authorities to repossess the land will also be examined, since prevailing laws do not allow random use of armed forces in executing decisions on forced removal. 

As reported, on January 5 more than 100 armed policemen and soldiers executed a local authorities’ decision to force Vuon and his family to vacate their premises and return the land, more than 40 hectares in size, to local authorities for an airport project. 

The authorities forced Vuon to return the land, stating that his lease on the land expired in 2009, but Vuon disagreed, saying he was eligible to continue using the land.

Vuon and his family members planted mines in their garden and used shotguns to injure 6 police officer, including Senior Lieutenant Colonel Le Van Mai, head of the Tien Lang District Police.

Vuon, 49, and three other members of his family were later arrested and prosecuted on charges of murder, while two other members, including Vuon’s wife, were indicted for resisting law enforcement officers on duty but were let out on bail.

The rubble that remains of Vuon's house after it was destroyed by the local armed force

Source: Tuoitrenews