View from a Rhino House: the Vietnam war (reprise)

At the weekend in Vietnam, a fish farmer who became a cult hero for fighting off an illegal eviction with homemade guns & mines, was jailed for attempted murder.

Doan Van Vuon, two of his brothers & a nephew, were given jail terms of 2 – 5 years for injuring 7 police & soldiers in Haiphong in January, State media reported. Two wives (it’s not clear whose) received suspended sentences of 15-18 months for “resisting officials”.

National television showed footage from the courtroom displaying the propane gas cylinders, electrical cables & steel pipes Vuon’s family army used for bombs & guns.

Almost as an aside, the authorities in Haiphong have admitted their eviction was unlawful & a number of (very) junior officials face trials beginning at the end of this week.

One of the  defense lawyers in the trial, claimed Vuon had no intention of causing harm & had exercised “all legal means” (an interesting claim, because there are none) to protect his land before staging his more direct resistance.

Rapid economic growth, foreign investment & industrial expansion has made land (all of which is technically owned by the State & leased to its citizens on 20 years contracts) disproportionally valuable. This has encouraged the abuse of standard clauses in leases that allow land seizures for reasons of national security, defense, economic development, public interest & any other reason that often corrupt beaurocrats can dream-up.

Of course, had someone explain to Vuon that fish thrive best in water, rather than amongst the area of trees he had actually leased, the whole sorry incident could have been avoided (but I can’t wait to see a 70-year old Stallone play the lead in the movie…..)

“No, no…. Not back in the banana tree, anything but that. You sadistic bastard…..”

View from a Rhino House: the short, flabby & slightly unpleasant arm of the law

In Vietnam this week it was reported that in Hanoi, fat, short, or abusive traffic policemen will be stopped from working on the streets & moved to desk jobs as part of a plan to improve the police’s less than stellar image among the city’s citizens.

Party officials & city managers are already compiling lists of those to be re-assigned & all police  officers on traffic duty will be made to carry a “code-of-conduct” book to instruct them on how to behave towards members of the public, a local official said.

“Short & unimposing officers, or those with large stomaches will be made to work in offices instead of guiding traffic & writing tickets,” Colonel Dao Vinh Thang, head of the Hanoi Traffic Police Department, was quoted as saying.

Complaints have mounted in recent years about the conduct of traffic police, including allegations of corruption & abusive behavior.

The latest initiative follows the deployment in January, for the first time, of female traffic police, as part of the same campaign to improve the public image of the security forces.

So it’s either shape-up or get out of the monsoon & behind a nice, comfy, dry desk? Donut sales are booming at a guess.

“When I say “Wanna buy a ticket for the police ball?” You hand over the cash, dipshit. You do not pull-off & try to run me down. OK?”