Như Ngọc (Danlambao) - On the morning of April 8, 2014, several land grab victims were brutally beaten and strangled by plainclothes police and regime-hired thugs while waiting to file petitions at the “People’s Reception Center” at 1 Ngo Thoi Nhiem Street in Hanoi, RFA’s Vietnamese service reported.
Victims of the assault were among a group of more than 50 poor and landless farmers from various provinces across the country coming to the capital to file petitions and complaints.
“I was at the “People’s Reception Center” on Ngo Thoi Nhiem Street with other women but they did not accept any petitions. Then we just called them the daylight robbers who suppress us; so, some police and regime-hired thugs came over to suppress us, to strangle me. They attempted to drag me to the ward (a police station) but other [petitioners] surrounded me so they gave up,” said Ms. Huong, a victim of today attack.
“We came to submit the petitions but Mr. Hoang Nhu Hai did not accept them and chased us away; so we raised our voice, then Mr. Tuan, a lieutenant colonel of Hanoi police, ordered the assault. They beat me and I ran away, but four of them chased me and Ms. Huong on motorcycles and continued to hit us. We come here to file complaints about the robbery of houses, the home destruction and land robbery of more than 50 people in 8 provinces, including people from Duong Noi, Yen Nghia, Gia Lam,” said Ms. Uoc, a farmer from southern province of Binh Phuoc.
Beside spending time and paying expensive bus fares and other expenses for a trip to the capital hoping their cries to be heard by the top “people’s servants”, those poor and landless farmers, usually, also have to pay for a predictable, heavy cost with their own tears and blood just to get some anguishing results.
