Vietnam province tense, Hanoi seeks end to unrest
11:55 p.m. Aug 26, 1997 Eastern

By Adrian Edwards

HANOI, Aug 27 (Reuter) - Residents and officials in
an area of northern Vietnam stricken by recent
unrest said this week the situation there remained
highly charged, but Hanoi appeared to be adopting a
softly-softly approach to restoring calm.

They reported the recent deployment of 1,200
members of a special police force around hot-spots
in coastal Thai Binh province, and said senior
officials, including politburo member Pham The
Duyet, had visited within the past week to assess
the situation.

Reliable details remain hard to come by, but an
official, who declined to be identified, told
Reuters that residents in Quynh Phu district -- an
area of some of the worst disturbances -- had
erected loudspeakers and were appealing for support
from neighbouring communes.

He said some villagers had sought to take advantage
of the situation by declaring provisional local
control, but added that in most cases such efforts
had been short-lived.

``Some bad elements and people who've been expelled
from the party are taking advantage of the
situation to cause disorder,'' he said. ``The
authorities are scared.''

The troubles in Thai Binh -- which is about 80 km
(50 miles) southeast of Hanoi -- began in May when
thousands of villagers converged on the provincial
capital, angered by alleged official corruption and
an increase in local fees.

The situation turned violent in late May and June
after the authorities allegedly refused to address
the concerns.

What followed was some of the worst-known unrest in
Vietnam in years in an area traditionally
considered the cradle of the communist revolution.

In Quynh Phu, the homes of several officials were
razed to the ground and reports from some areas
spoke of running battles in which police and others
were beaten.

Troubles have been reported in most areas of the
province and many villages remain off-limits to
police and officials.

Residents said this week that daily protests by
groups of women, elderly people and children were
continuing outside the People's Committee
headquarters in the provincial capital.

But they said the police had not moved to intervene
and suggested they were under direct orders from
Hanoi not to take action that might spark further
trouble.

Hanoi has made little official comment on the
troubles so far, but diplomats say the government
is deeply concerned by the problems, which have
focused new attention on rural issues such as
falling commodity prices and widespread
under-employment.

The foreign ministry said earlier this month that
local officials in Thai Binh were being punished
for ``untransparent financial activities,'' and
said efforts were being taken to stabilise the
situation.

Residents and the official confirmed this picture.
They said the authorities were seeking to calm
matters by identifying ``official culprits'' and by
isolating alleged troublemakers before arresting
them.

However, they added that the situation remained
tense as farmers had finished harvesting rice and
were into the ``between-crop'' period when many
rural workers are redundant.

Foreign journalists have not been able to visit the
area. REUTER