Farmers protest against a land grab to make way for a luxury Ecopark resort in Van Giang District near Hanoi. (Photo: Reuters)
HANOI, Vietnam—Authorities in northern Vietnam have detained 20 people after thousands of police evicted farmers from their land to make way for a satellite city, witnesses and state media said on Wednesday.
More than 1,000 villagers were overpowered by some 3,000 police and militiamen, many of them in full riot gear, during Tuesday’s incident, said a protester who gave her name only as Thinh.
She said villagers had camped out at their farms overnight to try to hold onto their land. Police fired tear gas and smoke grenades to disperse the farmers, who pelted them with rocks and bricks.
A video posted on YouTube showed police beating a villager. The sound of shots can be heard in the background. The video could not be verified, and it was unclear who was firing the shots and what type of weapon was being used.
More than 1,000 villagers were overpowered by some 3,000 police and militiamen, many of them in full riot gear, during Tuesday’s incident, said a protester who gave her name only as Thinh.
She said villagers had camped out at their farms overnight to try to hold onto their land. Police fired tear gas and smoke grenades to disperse the farmers, who pelted them with rocks and bricks.
A video posted on YouTube showed police beating a villager. The sound of shots can be heard in the background. The video could not be verified, and it was unclear who was firing the shots and what type of weapon was being used.
