Vietnam province tense after months of unrest

By Andy Soloman
THAI BINH, Vietnam, Feb 18 (Reuters) - Vietnam on Wednesday lifted a ban on media access to northern Thai Binh province which was imposed last year after protests against local state officials turned violent.

Foreign reporters who arrived at Quynh Hoa, a commune at the centre of the troubles in the province, found the area still tense and they were at least temporarily denied access to local people.

``It is not allowed to talk to people, come back tomorrow,'' Nguyen Trung Thu, deputy chairman of the Quynh Hoa People's Committee, said

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs informed resident journalists on Tuesday that they would be allowed access to Thai Binh on this specially arranged visit.

But an official from the ministry explained later that visits to rural areas were only scheduled for Thursday and it was normal to be denied access a day early.

Away from police scrutiny local people expressed unease about talking, but others confirmed reports last year on the scale and the extent of the problems in a province which is just 80 km (50 miles) southeast of Hanoi.

A local trader said that calm had returned to the area but people were still seeking justice over alleged corruption among local officials, even though some had been punished or sacked.

He said the situation was tense last year, and that politburo member Pham The Duyet had visited Quynh Phu district to find solutions.

The trader painted a picture of anger and confrontation, but stressed that the majority of demonstrators had been peaceful and that violence was instigated by a minority of agitators.

Senior officials and policemen had been taken hostage and buildings attacked, including the provincial people's committee in Thai Binh town and police stations, he said.

``Eighteen policemen were taken hostage in Quynh Hoa commune last August, and they were tied, beaten and in some cases starved for five or six days,'' he said.

The trader added that the captives had been freed after about 20 vehicles carrying police dressed as soldiers stormed the commune.

``Within four days of the rescue force nearly 30 people were arrested...and some are still being held,'' he said.

The unrest in Thai Binh, which began in March and April, went unmentioned in the domestic media until September, by which time the issue had become politically charged because the ruling Communist Party was grappling with how to respond in a region traditionally seen as the seat of Vietnam's revolution.

Foreign journalists are still barred from visiting other regions of the country where unrest has been reported.