The clearing of land has begun for a new township and golf course south east of Vietnam’s capital Hanoi despite protests from hundreds of farmers.
Speaker: Carl Thayer, specialist in Vietnamese politics and Professor of Politics from the University of New South Wales at the Australian Defence Force Academy
WEBSTER: Riot police on Wednesday protected the workers who used bulldozers to level out the agricultural plots in preparation for the 500 hectare Eco Park sout east of Hanoi. Many of the protesters carried farming tools but left peacefully after speaking with local authorities. Carl Thayer is a specialist in Vietnamese politics and Professor of Politics from the University of New South Wales at the Australian Defence Force Academy. He believes farmers in Vietnam are being treated unfairly by the government and developers.
THAYER: Land process and particularly urban land process has been a common feature in the Vietnamese landscape, including the most recent demonstrations. Local cadres feather their nests by engaging in economic development projects, compensation is probably not adequate, and in many cases the people who are affected are not consulted thoroughly and later argue that it is very difficult for them to relocate and find new land.
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