U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam Marc Knapper condemned last month’s attacks on local government facilities in two communes in the southern province of Dak Lak, Vietnamese state media reported.
At dawn on June 11, two groups of about 40 people armed with guns and knives attacked the headquarters of Ea Tieu and Ea Ktur communes, killing nine people including four policemen, two commune officials and three villagers.
In all, authorities detained nearly 100 ethnic minorities for allegedly participating in terrorist attacks in which two commune officials and three civilians also were killed.
The attacks occurred in an area that is home to about 30 indigenous tribes known collectively as Montagnards, who have historically felt persecuted or oppressed.
Last week, police announced that they arrested all six ringleaders wanted for their roles in the attacks.
Knapper’s remarks came Monday during a meeting with state media at the U.S. Embassy in Hanoi to commemorate 10 years of comprehensive partnership between Vietnam and the United States.
According to state media, Knapper said he “condemns the attack in the strongest possible terms.”
When asked what he thought of the suspects’ possible connections to an organization in the United States, Knapper said that the embassy was "willing to work with the Government of Vietnam to clarify what is behind the incident."
In the aftermath of the attack, several Vietnamese officials suggested that there were foreign organizations behind it.
In late June, RFA interviewed several overseas Montagnard organizations whose members denied involvement in the incident and condemned the violent attacks.
Sarcasm tolerated
Also in Dak Lak, police are dropping their case against a teacher who trolled the government and military on Facebook.
State media reported that the teacher, Nguyen Dat Thanh, posted a picture of himself standing next to a sign that read “National Defense and Security Education Sports Festival,” and attached the status line “Hello everyone.”
It was deemed to be very sarcastic in nature, and caused the deputy head of the province’s Internal Political Security Department to sign an official order on “rectifying the situation of conflict and disunity at Chu Van An High School.”
The order asked teachers at the school to file explanatory reports on the incident. The teachers, thinking the order to be excessive, did not comply.
The police consulted with other government organizations and decided not to pursue the case, state media reported.
Dak Lak’s Department of Education and Training said that the post did not violate Cybersecurity laws, so no further action by authorities was necessary.
Translated by An Nguyen. Edited by Eugene Whong.