Farmer in Central Vietnam Self-immolates in Land Dispute Case

 Policemen try to save buring Ms. Pham  Thi Le

Policemen watch buring land petitioner Le

Ms. Le and the family of Thach Canh Pho have been disputing over a land lot, and the People’s Committee of Duc Pho district settled the dispute in 2013, giving Mr. Pho to win the case.

Not agreeing to the decision, Ms. Le filled her petitions to the Quang Ngai province People’ Committee to demand justice, however, her petitions were rejected without giving reasonable explanations.

By Vu Quoc Ngu | Aug 13, 2015

A female farmer in Vietnam’s central province of Quang Ngai on Aug 12 burned herself with gasoline to protest local authorities’ decision on land dispute case, state media reported Wednesday.

State media reported that Pham Thi Le, born in 1963, in Pho Nhon commune, Duc Pho district, was hospitalized in a critical health conditions with serious skin injuries.

Ms. Le and the family of Thach Canh Pho have been disputing over a land lot, and the People’s Committee of Duc Pho district settled the dispute in 2013, giving Mr. Pho to win the case.

Not agreeing to the decision, Ms. Le filled her petitions to the Quang Ngai province People’ Committee to demand justice, however, her petitions were rejected without giving reasonable explanations.

Mr. Huynh Tan Luat, a son-in-law of Ms. Le said the dispute land lot belonged to Ms. Le’s family but a local resident invaded it and sold it to Mr. Pho.

On Wednesday, over 20 officials of Pho Nhon commune came to evict her from the disputed land, Le used gasoline to burn herself with witnessing of local authorities after failing to stop local authorities and Mr. Pho from taking her land.

She is among a number of Vietnamese people who have self-immolated in land dispute cases. Immolations triggered by land grabbing by local authorities were recorded in Danang, Quang Nam and Hanoi.

Hanoi-based resident Nguyen Hong Luong was said by police to burn herself in police station in Dien Bien ward while she worked with local police officers on a land dispute case.