Northern Vietnam Officials Ousted

HANOI, Vietnam (AP) -- A provincial governor and local party chief in northern Vietnam were fired after widespread protests against local government corruption, news reports said Monday.

The People's Committee of Thai Binh province voted last week to dismiss Gov. Vu Xuan Truong and relieve him of his duties in local politics, according to The People, a communist party newspaper.

Vu Manh Rinh, provincial communist party chief, was also forced from office, the report said.

Thai Binh province, 50 miles southeast of Hanoi, has been wracked by violent protests recently. Hundreds of demonstrators have been arrested and dozens of provincial and local official have been sacked.

A government probe into corruption in Thai Binh confirmed far-reaching troubles in the province. The inquiry cited corruption at municipal and provincial levels, mismanagement of public funds, and exorbitant taxes.

Pham The Duyet, a member of the elite Politburo, was dispatched to the region and warned the province to act swiftly to correct the problem areas.

In September, Vietnam's state-controlled press reported that at least 50 local officials were forced from office in Thai Binh. Another 30 were investigated on corruption charges.

In the wake of the protests, the province was sealed off. Journalists were barred from the visiting the area and foreigners doing business were closely watched.

Security forces were deployed for months in Thai Binh to quell the mini-revolt.Human rights groups say hundreds of protesters were being detained without charge.

Security forces also were deployed to break up a protest in southern Vietnam's Dong Nai province, where several hundred villagers held a demonstration for land rights this weekend.

The protests took place in the predominantly Catholic district of Thong Nhat, 40 miles northeast of Ho Chi Minh City. The protesters blocked traffic on Highway 1, which links the capital Hanoi with Ho Chi Minh City.

The villagers were protesting a move by the local government to take over a small plot of land to build a student hostel.