A Vietnamese man was given a 14-year prison sentence on Tuesday for abusing democratic freedom and assaulting police officers on duty. Hoang Duc Binh, 35, received seven years for “resisting people in the performance of their official duties”, and a further seven years for “abusing democratic freedoms to infringe upon the interests of the State and the legitimate rights and interests of organizations and/or citizens.” Binh joined hundreds of protesters on February 14 last year demanding justice from Taiwanese steel plant Formosa, the court in the central province of Nghe An said, as cited by the province’s official newspaper. According to the judges, Binh had prevented local police from maintaining order during the protest, which caused a tailback of around five kilometers. Nguyen Nam Phong, 38, who also took part in the protest, received a lesser sentence of two years because he was “sincere” during the trial, the court said. Binh, on the other hand, showed no remorse, it added. He deliberately manipulated the Formosa incident to ignite protests and sabotage public security, it said. Formosa was the culprit behind a severe toxic spill along Vietnam’s central coast in April 2016. During a test run, the company discharged substances including phenol, cyanide and iron hydroxide into the sea, polluting 200 kilometers (125 miles) of coastline and devastating economies dependent on fishing and tourism. The incident has been described as the worst environmental disaster in the country’s history, and officials say it will take the region a decade to recover from…. [Read full story]
RIYADH, June 1 -- Saudi Arabia sentenced 14 people to death for terrorism on Wednesday after they were convicted of attacks on police in the Shi'ite Muslim minority area of Qatif in the Eastern Province, scene of past anti-government protests, their lawyer said. RIYADH, June 1 -- Saudi Arabia sentenced 14 people to death for terrorism on Wednesday after they were convicted of attacks on police in the Shi'ite Muslim minority area of Qatif in the Eastern Province, scene of past anti-government protests, their lawyer said. Another nine people were given jail sentences of three to 15 years and one…... [read more]
A court in the northern province of Ha Nam on Tuesday sentenced a Vietnamese woman to nine years in prison and five years of probation for spreading anti-state propaganda. According to the court verdict, Tran Thi Nga, 40, made and posted 13 anti-state propaganda videos on her blogs, Facebook page and YouTube channel from April 2014 until her arrest in January this year. Her videos were alleged to have defamed the government and distorted Communist Party and State policies in order to spread confusion, suspicion and discontent, according to Ha Nam police. Prosecutors also accused her of providing false information…... [read more]
The 38-year-old man, who has also been recorded as a sex offender, is expected to be deported later this month. Vietnamese actor and comedian Hong Quang Minh, who goes by the stage name Minh Beo, has been sentenced to 18 months in state prison for sexually assaulting a 16-year-old boy in California. Orange County prosecutors on Friday said the 38-year-old man must also register as a sex offender for life, according to media reports. Minh was arrested on March 24 on charges of having oral sex with a 16-year-old boy and attempting to commit a lewd act upon a child…... [read more]
The civil court of Ho Chi Minh City has sentenced a Vietnamese American to seven years in prison for assaulting a young man after a road collision. Nguyen Trung Hau, 32, the offender, received the sentence on Monday for stabbing a 20-year-old Vietnamese man, Nguyen Dang Long, with a knife on July 14, 2015 after the two quarreled over their traffic accident, according to a police report. The victim was taken to a local hospital for treatment, the report said. The defendant admitted the crime, claiming that Long had run the lights, causing the collision. He added that Long was…... [read more]
Extreme weather is taking a toll on people in Hanoi, with temperatures exceeding 40 degrees Celsius at some places.
Few would get out to the street without fully covering themselves from head to toe these days.
People who have to work on the street would try to hide under shades whenever they could and it is easy to spot people going out with a bottle of water so they can quench the thirst at anytime.
A heat wave has been roasting Hanoi and northern Vietnam since the middle of this week and is forecast to well…... [read more]
