Encroaching on forest land belonging to forestry enterprises is a violation of the law.

(Baonghean)Recently, in Yen Hop commune, Quy Hop district, hundreds of people from the hamlets of Bo, Trong Canh, Cong, and Na Phe have been illegally encroaching on forest land in Sub-area 262, managed by Dong Hop Forestry Station, to cut down trees and occupy the land. Despite the forestry station's efforts to coordinate with local authorities and implement various measures to prevent this, the situation remains very complex...

The issue of residents from the villages of Bọ, Trọng Cánh, Cồng, and Na Phê clearing trees and encroaching on forest land belonging to the Đồng Hợp Forestry Station began to escalate in April 2013. According to the Quỳ Hợp District Police, to date, over 40 hectares of forest land have been encroached upon by residents. This encroachment has caused conflict and a breakdown of security and order between the Đồng Hợp Forestry Station and some local residents. Specifically, on the evenings of May 23rd and May 26th, taking advantage of the absence of the forestry station's guards, some individuals vandalized the property of the Forest Protection Station in Sub-areas 262 and 270 and wrote threatening messages to the guards; at noon on May 28th, some individuals secretly entered Sub-area 262 and set fire to the forest on land cleared by residents of the villages of Bọ, Trọng Cánh, and Cồng in plots 3, 4, and 7, causing a large fire covering an area of ​​approximately 45 hectares. The forestry station had to mobilize all its staff to control and contain the fire to prevent it from spreading; from May 31st to June 3rd, about 60 people organized into 4 groups in plots 4 and 7, Sub-area 262, illegally digging holes to plant trees. When the security forces tried to persuade them, the ringleaders insulted, cursed, and threatened them...

On June 18th, upon arriving at Sub-area 262, we witnessed large patches of forest near Bo hamlet and the Mong village dam area being burned. Officers from the Sub-area 262 Forest Protection Station reported that the situation remains tense. Therefore, the forestry station had to deploy an additional 12 personnel from other stations, bringing the total to 15, and the Quy Hop District Police deployed 3 more officers to cooperate with the forestry station's protection efforts. However, it remains very difficult to prevent encroachment and illegal planting by the local people. Currently, the people are no longer clearing and burning the forest, but around 3 AM they start digging holes and secretly planting trees.

According to Mr. Tran Van Ngoc, Secretary of the Party Committee of Yen Hop commune, in mid-2012, when the State allowed Dong Hop Forestry Farm to convert land for planting raw materials in Sub-area 262, encroachment on forest land occurred but was prevented. However, in April 2013, when the forestry farm contracted with some households to clear and cut down trees, people joined in the felling and encroachment on the land. The main reasons were: people heard information that the forestry farm had contracted with some households to plant trees under the 49/51 mechanism; some households lacked land for production and wanted to be contracted by the forestry farm to plant trees but their requests were not met; and during the tree planting process, the forestry farm did not coordinate well with the local government to publicly disseminate the tree planting plan. Mr. Ngoc added that the encroachment on forest land started in Bo hamlet, and is currently most intense in Trong Canh hamlet.

The hilly, forested area near the Bản Mồng dam has been illegally cleared and burned to the ground.

The village of Bọ has 66 households, with one-third being ethnic Thai people and two-thirds being Kinh people. According to village head Dinh Van Duong, about 40 households were involved in land encroachment. After the working group from the District People's Committee visited and the forestry station agreed to sign a joint venture contract with those who wanted to plant trees, about 37 households registered. However, the people want the government and the forestry station to cooperate to resolve the issue fairly in receiving land for joint venture forest planting, avoiding a situation where some households receive more than others. Mr. Duong added that some households, fearing unfairness, are secretly digging holes and planting trees illegally. They think that once the deed is done, no one can do anything about it. Mr. Nguyen Van Hung, Secretary of the Party Branch of Bọ village, confirmed Mr. Duong's statement when asked.

In Trong Canh hamlet, the situation is much more complicated. According to Hamlet Head Dinh Viet To, the local people are currently petitioning the authorities to completely allocate the forest land within Trong Canh's boundaries to the people for production, which is why the encroachment on forest land continues. Mr. To cited the reason as the fact that many households here have no land for production because the State has reclaimed it to build the Mong village reservoir. When asked for his personal opinion, Mr. To acknowledged that the people's actions are a violation of the law. However, he argued that if the forest management had organized contracts for the people from the beginning, things wouldn't be as complicated as they are now. He said that seeing some people in other hamlets receiving contracts from the forest management while they were not, they felt resentful...

Working with the Dong Hop Forestry Station, it was learned that on March 8, 2012, the forestry station received approval from the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development for a design to plant raw material forests in Sub-area 262 with an area of ​​over 144.2 hectares. In 2012, the forestry station only planted 14.3 hectares. In 2013, when they began planting the remaining area, some households obstructed the work and encroached on the land. On January 28, 2013, the forestry station reported this situation to Yen Hop commune, the Department of Agriculture, and the Quy Hop Forest Protection Unit.

As the situation heated up, a district working group led by Mr. Vi Thanh Tuong - Vice Chairman of the District People's Committee - visited Yen Hop. The forestry station agreed to convert the entire area authorized for conversion to raw material forest plantations into a joint venture contract with interested households. On May 31st, the forestry station announced this policy to the Party Committee, government, and people of Yen Hop commune. The agreement stipulated that households would contribute labor for clearing undergrowth, digging holes, applying fertilizer, planting, caring for, and protecting the forest according to approved quotas, but not exceeding 49%; the forestry station would contribute materials, fertilizers, seedlings, and pesticides, with a minimum contribution of 51%; and both parties would share the profits according to their respective capital contributions.

After exchanging all the information gathered in Yen Hop commune with the leaders of Quy Hop district, Mr. Cao Thanh Long - Secretary of the District Party Committee - said that the district has been urgently directing efforts to resolve this issue. On June 10th, the Standing Committee of the District Party Committee worked with relevant departments, Yen Hop commune, and Dong Hop Forestry Farm.

Regarding Yen Hop commune, the Standing Committee of the District Party Committee has assigned the responsibility to strengthen propaganda and mobilization among the people to implement the State's policies and laws on land, forest protection and development; promptly mobilize forces to prevent and strictly punish violations; coordinate well with the forestry enterprise to carry out reforestation according to the approved plan and design; conduct a review to clarify the responsibilities of each organization and individual and strictly handle cadres and Party members who violate the regulations. It is required that all cases related to land encroachment be resolved completely by the end of June to ensure security and order in the area.

For Dong Hop Forestry Farm, it is necessary to coordinate with the commune government and relevant departments to reach an agreement with the households to sign a joint venture contract with a term of 8 years (households contribute 49% of the capital, the forestry farm contributes 51%); and to contract with functional forces to protect and manage the forest, preventing people from encroaching on land, planting trees, or illegally exploiting the forest...

The events that have occurred and are still occurring in Yen Hop commune show that the encroachment of forest land by local people is a violation of the law and this situation needs to be stopped as soon as possible. However, there are many lessons that all parties involved need to learn from this incident. For Dong Hop Forestry Enterprise, an organization entrusted by the State with the effective management and use of forest land, effective management and use of forest land requires even more seamless coordination with the local government and people.

The Yen Hop commune authorities must recognize that the forestry enterprise's agreement to a joint venture contract with the people is a goodwill gesture and actively promote cooperation among the people. When detecting instances of people deliberately encroaching on the forest illegally, the commune authorities must proactively report to higher levels and take action to prevent and strictly punish the perpetrators according to the law.

Although Quỳ Hợp District has closely monitored the situation and issued specific directives, it is necessary to quickly intervene when it is recognized that the local authorities lack the capacity to resolve the issue completely, preventing the prolonged state of security and order in the area. At the same time, it is necessary to coordinate with relevant agencies and departments to survey and understand the situation and the land use needs of the people, in order to find solutions to gradually meet the people's needs, while effectively utilizing the forest land allocated to the forestry enterprise but not yet exploited.

Text and photos: Nhat Lan