Quynh Luu: Checking and handling information surrounding the article 'Clarifying signs of crime in the case of deforestation and beating people in Quynh Chau'

Nghe An Newspaper, issue dated March 30, 2023, had an article "Clarifying signs of crime in the case of deforestation and beating people in Quynh Chau" reflecting: "On February 28, 2023 and March 2, 2023, a group of subjects residing in village 6, Quynh Tan commune, Quynh Luu district, arbitrarily encroached on land, used excavators to level and destroy forests in the area under the management and protection of the Northern Nghe An Forest Protection Management Board.

This group of people also assaulted Mr. Nguyen Khac Hoan - a forest protection officer, causing him to be hospitalized. The devastated area is a planted forest belonging to the 5 million hectare pine and acacia forest project according to Decision 661/QD-TTg, dated July 29, 1998 of the Prime Minister. This is a public property owned by the State, assigned to the Northern Nghe An Protective Forest Management Board for management. Upon discovering the incident, the Northern Nghe An Protective Forest Management Board mobilized forces to prevent and protect the evidence right at the scene. The devastated forest area is about 2.2 hectares, located next to a number of production forest plots in Quynh Chau commune. The amount of wood destroyed is up to tens of m³”.

The Standing Committee of Quynh Luu District Party Committee directed the District People's Committee to inspect and survey, and on April 12, 2023, Quynh Luu District Party Committee issued Official Dispatch No. 477-BC/HU on "handling the case mentioned in the Newspaper", the results are as follows:

Article "The painful case of deforestation and beating people in Quynh Chau". Photo: Nhat Lan's document

I. Development of the incident

According to Report No. 97/BC-BQL, dated March 6, 2023 of the Northern Nghe An Protective Forest Management Board on the fact that some individuals arbitrarily entered and exploited pine and acacia plantations owned by the State, which had been assigned to the Northern Nghe An Protective Forest Management Board for management and use to occupy land: At 14:24 on February 28, 2023, while patrolling the forest, the forest protection team of the Northern Nghe An Protective Forest Management Board discovered some citizens of Quynh Tan commune arbitrarily exploiting pine and acacia forests at Lot 1, Compartment 3, Sub-area 343B (administrative boundary of Quynh Chau commune, bordering Quynh Tan commune), a production forest managed by the Northern Nghe An Protective Forest Management Board. The Northern Nghe An Forest Protection Management Board mobilized forces to prevent the act, at the same time, made a record of inspection and handed over the evidence, including the car with license plate 74C - 108.11 and 5,832 m³Pine wood (round wood) for Quynh Luu - Hoang Mai Forest Protection Department to handle.

While waiting for the authorities to handle the situation, on the afternoon of March 2, 2023, the above group of subjects continued to exploit the remaining acacia trees in this forest area. The Forest Protection Management Board mobilized forest protection forces to prevent and reported to the Quynh Luu - Hoang Mai Forest Protection Department for support. During the working process, the subjects who cut down the forest did not cooperate, did not provide personal information, and left behind at the scene a Husqvavna 365 chainsaw and a car with license plate 22C - 033.97 with a length of 7.47 m³Acacia wood (5.174 m³wood on the car and 2.29 m³wood scattered in the forest area). The area of ​​forest destroyed was 2.29 hectares. From March 2 to the early morning of March 6, 2023, while waiting for the Quynh Luu - Hoang Mai Forest Protection Department to investigate, verify and handle the case, the Protective Forest Management Board sent forces to protect the evidence at the scene (including cars and acacia wood).

At the scene, many pine tree stumps with diameters of about 25 - 30cm were mercilessly cut down. Photo: Tien Dong

On the morning of March 6, 2023, the leader, Dau Huy Hung, a citizen of Quynh Tan commune, mobilized nearly 30 people to the scene of forest exploitation to attack the forest protection force, injuring Mr. Nguyen Khac Hoan, an employee of the Northern Nghe An Forest Protection Management Board. At the same time, the subjects drove a car with license plate 22C - 033.97 and 5,174 m³acacia wood from the scene. Due to his injuries, Mr. Nguyen Khac Hoan had to be treated at Nghe An Trauma and Orthopedics Hospital from March 6 to March 30, 2023. The car with license plate 22C - 033.97 is being temporarily detained by the authorities at Quynh Tan Commune People's Committee to serve the investigation and handling.

1. On the origin of land and forest

According to records and reports of the Northern Nghe An Forest Protection Management Board, the origin of land and forest is as follows:

- Regarding land origin: Lot 1, Compartment 3, Sub-area 343B was assigned by Nghe An Provincial People's Committee to Quynh Luu Forestry Enterprise (now the Northern Nghe An Protective Forest Management Board) in Decision No. 749/QD-UB.DC dated July 17, 2003 on granting the Certificate of Land Use Rights to Quynh Luu Forestry Enterprise.

About forest origin:The above pine and acacia forest area was invested in by Project 661 in 2001 (the person who was contracted to plant the forest in 2001 was Mr. Hoang Ngoc Long, and the person who took care of the forest in the period 2002 - 2003 was Mr. Dang Tan Phuong. Both of them are cadres, workers, and civil servants of Quynh Luu Forestry, now the Northern Nghe An Protective Forest Management Board).

Trucks and timber involved in the deforestation case in Quynh Chau commune are being detained. Photo: Nhat Lan

2. Handling violations

Immediately after the incident, the People's Committee of Quynh Luu district directed the relevant agencies (Forest Rangers, District Police) to coordinate with relevant units to handle the case in accordance with the provisions of law. On March 22, 2023, the People's Committee of the district and the district-level departments and branches (Police, Procuracy) had a working session with the working delegation of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development and relevant parties to handle the above case. According to the assessment of the District Police, this is a case of deforestation and forest destruction with signs of the crimes of "Intentionally causing injury" and "Resisting a person on duty". The People's Committee of the district and the district-level departments and branches agreed with the working delegation of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development to put the case into the settlement process according to Joint Circular No. 01/2017/TTLT-BCA-BQP-BTC-BNNPTNT-VKSNDTC on handling crime reports.

Quynh Luu District People's Committee directed the Northern Nghe An Protective Forest Management Board, Quynh Luu - Hoang Mai Forest Protection Department to coordinate with Quynh Luu District Police to complete the dossier for handling according to the provisions of law.