From New Straits Times
An apparent argument over land led to the killing of one northern Vietnam government official and the wounding of three others, police said Thursday.
A 42-year-old man yesterday shot five officials at the headquarters of the People’s Committee in northern Thai Binh City yesterday, killing one and injuring the rest. According to reports, the killer later shot himself.—VNA/VNS
According to media reports, the dispute the man had with city authorities could have been over compensation that the government had offered to the man for his family’s rice field. He reportedly was dissatisfied with what the city had offered after confiscating the land.
The government’s confiscation of land has become a point of contention between property owners and officials. Local officials have the rights in Vietnam to claim land for what they categorize as “public interest,” leaving millions of landowners in rural Vietnam on edge.
Protests in Hanoi over the seizing of property are common. Last year, a Vietnamese fish farmer used homemade weapons, injuring seven police officers, to defend his property and resist eviction. The farmer became a local folk hero but was jailed for five years on charges of attempted murder.
