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VIETNAM-PROTEST-TRIAL
Vietnam convicts 20 over demos against economic zones
HANOI, July 30, 2018 (BSS/AFP) – A Vietnam court convicted 20 people on
Monday of joining nationwide protests last month against a draft economic law
that sparked anger in the communist nation where demonstrations are banned.
The protests against a proposed bill to grant lengthy leases to foreign
investors in special economic zones erupted in several cities across the
country, including in some areas where police headquarters were stormed and
officers attacked.
Scores were detained after the demonstrations, which were fuelled by anti-
Chinese sentiment. They included an American citizen convicted of causing
public disorder and deported earlier this month.
On Monday 20 people were found guilty on similar charges in southern
province of Dong Nai and given sentences ranging from 18 months’ jail to a
12-month suspended sentence, according to the province’s official newspaper.
They were accused of holding up banners, shouting slogans and blocking
traffic for hours in the city of Bien Hoa, it said.
“(Their) behaviour caused social disorder… and negatively impacted
society. Some committed crimes because they were not aware of the laws or
were instigated by others,” the judge was quoted as saying.
The draft law on special economic zones initially proposed granting 99-
year leases to investors in special economic zones, which the government said
would create jobs and spur economic growth.
It reduced the length of the leases after online opposition, but this was
not enough to quell anger that had been brewing for weeks.
Many against the draft bill accused the government of planning to hand land
over to China, even though it was not named in the law.
The communist neighbours have a long and complicated history — punctuated
by a bloody border war in 1979 — and still frequently spar over disputed
territory in the resource-rich South China Sea.
The June 10 protests drew thousands to the streets and paralysed several
areas, including in the southern hub Ho Chi Minh City where American citizen
Will Nguyen was arrested.
Seventeen people have been convicted in separate trials in Binh Thuan
province, where demonstrations spun out of control when protesters attacked
riot police and damaged government buildings and cars.
Protests are officially banned and are rare in the one-party state. The
government has vowed to punish those accused of inciting unrest in the June
gatherings.
BSS/AFP/RY/1915 hrs