Ten Detained as Police Suppress People Protesting Calcium Carbide Mining Project

Defend the Defenders, April 19, 2018

On April 18, police in Vietnam’s central province of Binh Dinh arrested around ten people during the suppression against local residents when they gathered to protest a calcium-carbide mining project in My Tho commune, Phu My district.

Local citizen journalists reported that authorities in Binh Ding deployed large numbers of police commandos, police and militia to disperse local residents who strive to block mining processes which are harmful for environment and affect their lives.

Protesting people consist of many females and students, reporters said, adding most of detainees were women.

Police took the detainees to the district police’s headquarters and they may be charged with “causing public disorders” or even “resisting against on-duty state officials” according to Article 318 or Article 330, respectively, under the 2015 Penal Code with maximum imprisonment of three years.

The mining project was approved by the local government.

You can see the police suppression in videos taken by local citizen journalists here: https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1709255019161624&id=100002314264768