Vietnam : Land row quelled as media ban imposed

ASSOCIATED PRESS in Hanoi
Protests triggered by land disputes in southern Vietnam have been quelled, the Government says.

But foreign journalists have been barred from visiting the region.

Details remained sketchy and contradictory. Varying reports said hundreds or thousands of villagers joined the weekend demonstrations.

Police and security forces were summoned on Saturday to quell the protests in the predominantly Catholic district of Thong Nhat, about 60 kilometres northeast of Ho Chi Minh City.

Hanoi is particularly on edge this week, with dozens of foreign dignitaries in the capital to attend a summit of French-speaking countries.

The protests in southern Vietnam led to clashes between police and villagers at the weekend. The unrest was sparked when the Government took over a plot of contested land to build a student hostel.

The Foreign Ministry said the unrest had diminished in Thong Nhat.

However, officials from the ministry refused to allow foreign reporters to visit the area. Foreign journalists must seek the communist Government's approval to travel on assignment beyond 40 km from the capital, Hanoi.

The Foreign Ministry also denied that the protests were religiously motivated, but failed to explain why a Catholic bishop was asked to mediate at the weekend.

"This is a civil complaint on land disputes in the locality. It has nothing to do with religious issues," the Foreign Ministry statement said.

It was unclear who controlled the land, with some religious leaders claiming it belonged to the Church and several villagers staking a claim.