The Sad Corner of Chau Ly

(Baonghean) - Na Lan is a poor village in Chau Ly commune. On the night of December 6, 2011, the young men of the village agreed to load timber for a truck owner in Xieng My commune. Early the next morning, the entire village received devastating news: the timber truck had overturned on the Pu Huot slope in Binh Chuan commune, resulting in the tragic deaths of 10 people. Five people died in Na Lan village, two in Bu Lau, two in Ngon village, and one in Con village...

Returning to Na Lan in mid-July, a somber and sorrowful atmosphere still hung over the poor village a year and a half after the disaster. Lo Van Hung, whose two sons, Lo Van Thong (born in 1988) and Lo Van Minh (born in 1990), both died in the car accident, sadly recounted: Before the accident, Minh was building a temporary house, but it was swept away by the flood, forcing him to move back into his older brother's dilapidated house.

After the tragic deaths of their two children, Mr. Hung and his wife fell ill from grief. Their eldest daughter-in-law (Mr. Thong's wife) also took the children to live with her parents, only returning occasionally for special occasions, leaving the house empty and silent all day long. Ms. Lo Thi Nghi (Mr. Minh's wife) also took the two children to stay at their paternal grandfather's house. "Since that day, the whole family has been wandering around aimlessly, unable to do anything properly. To pay for the funeral expenses, my wife and I had to borrow money from the bank and work as construction laborers in Quang Ninh and Binh Thuan. Before we could even find work, every few months we would receive summonses from the court to come in for trial. When we got home, we would hear that the court had postponed the trial, and we just stayed home anxiously waiting," Mr. Hung sighed. Sitting listlessly, cradling her two young children in the empty house, Lo Thi Nghi, the wife of Lo Van Minh, tearfully explained that after performing the ritual for her husband, she went to the South to work as a laborer, but because her children were too young, she had to return home.

Not far from Mr. Hung's house, the family of Mr. Vi Van Nguyen, father of the two brothers Vi Van La and Vi Van Hieu who died in the timber truck accident, is in a similarly dire situation. Mr. Nguyen has been ill and bedridden since the accident, and his two daughters-in-law don't know how to earn a living to support their two young children.

Since her husband's death, Lo Thi Nghi and her children have fallen into dire straits.

Located not far from Na Lan, the atmosphere in Bu Lau village is equally somber and gloomy. After their two sons, Vi Van Tuoi and Vi Van Viet, died in an accident, Mr. Vi Van Dung also fell ill and passed away shortly afterward. Tuoi's wife took their children to her parents' home in Met village, Binh Chuan commune. Vi Thi Viet (Viet's wife) and her three young children live with her mother-in-law, who is nearly 70 years old. The two women live precariously in a dilapidated house, with nowhere to turn for support. In Con and Ngon villages, the situation is no better. The wives and children of the victims are barely surviving, unsure of what tomorrow will bring.

Following the timber truck accident, public opinion largely focused on the responsibility of the forest rangers involved in the illegal timber trade, with many forgetting the plight of the wives who lost their husbands, children who lost their fathers, and mothers who lost their sons in the remote villages. After several postponements for various reasons, on January 24, 2013, the Con Cuong District People's Court held the first-instance trial of the case and sentenced eight defendants, including forest rangers, timber owners, truck owners, and the drivers involved in the accident, to a total of 208 months in prison. The defendants were also ordered to compensate the affected families 717 million VND.

However, the verdict could not take effect immediately because six defendants filed appeals requesting reduced sentences. After several postponements, the appellate trial opened on July 17th. The defendants all tried to present mitigating circumstances to request leniency, completely disregarding the plight of the mourners filling the courtroom! Regarding the appellate trial, Mr. Lo Van Hung said that the villagers were not very concerned about the sentences the officials received; what they wanted was adequate compensation. However, since the incident, the poor families in Chau Ly have received virtually no significant support from those involved. “After my son died, the families of those arrested and the vehicle owner came three times to offer incense, each time giving 500,000 dong. We don’t know when we will receive the compensation money as ordered by the court,” Mr. Hung and others in similar circumstances wondered.

Mr. Nguyen Tinh Phu, Chairman of the Chau Ly Commune People's Committee, said that currently, 14 orphaned children and 10 widows are facing many difficulties and tragic circumstances. Before the tragedy, these were all poor households, and now they are classified as extremely poor. However, the commune government cannot provide much assistance beyond appealing to charitable organizations and associations.

Text and photos: Nguyen Khoa