Police have released dozens of protesters who were demonstrating against plans to build a port in northern Vietnam’s Thanh Hoa province.
The protesters were detained on Oct. 31 after a more-than-week-long blockade, aimed at stopping construction workers leveling the site of the proposed Long Son Container Port.
Demonstrators are concerned the project would harm their livelihoods and cause pollution.
“The police arrested about 30 people on the morning of Oct. 31, brought them to the town police’s headquarters for questioning and sent them home late at night with the request that they return for interrogation the next morning,” one local, who didn’t want to be named for fear of reprisals, told Radio Free Asia on Thursday.
“By late afternoon of Nov. 1, all of them had returned home, and they went to work normally today."
Another local, also speaking to RFA on condition of anonymity, said the entire population of Hai Ha commune gathered at the Commune People's Committee office to demand the release of protesters. Local officials agreed on condition residents abandoned their protest and the people agreed.
The police also threatened people with fines of as much as US$300 but one local woman said no one has been fined so far.
RFA Vietnamese called Nghi Son town police to verify the information, but the person on the phone refused to answer and asked the reporter to go to the agency's headquarters.
The land blockade followed a march on Oct. 23, when around 300 people, mainly women and children, joined together to demand the port project be canceled. The police complained that marchers were causing a public disturbance and causing serious traffic congestion but no one was arrested.
On Oct 29, Nghi Son police searched the home of fisherman Cao Thi Linh, saying they believed he was inciting people to protest. State media reported that the police confiscated many important documents, however, locals said the "important document" was a book recording food contributions from people guarding the beach.
Long Son Container Port is one of many large projects around Hai Ha commune, including iron and steel factories, cement factories, thermal power plants, and coal ports.
Locals told RFA the project will affect the livelihoods of more than 400 fishing households in the commune. They said the local government did not consult them about the project or come up with policies to overcome the negative effects on local people.
Translated by RFA Vietnamese. Edited by Mike Firn and Elaine Chan.