Strict action will be taken against those who destroy crops and livestock belonging to people in Nghe An.

Reprehensible behavior

Recently, on November 19, 2024, four households in Bai Say village, Dinh Son commune (Anh Son district) reported to authorities that their adjacent fish ponds were experiencing mass fish deaths, suspected to be due to poisoning.

Upon receiving the report, the Anh Son District Police and related units conducted a scene investigation and verification to clarify the incident. Preliminary findings indicate that a large number of fish were damaged, including various species such as black carp, grass carp, silver carp, bighead carp, common carp, and tilapia.

Through investigation, the Anh Son District Police identified the perpetrator as Nguyen Minh Hoi, born in 1983, residing in Cam Thang village, Cam Son commune, Anh Son district.

Initially, Hợi confessed that due to a misunderstanding with the family of Mr. Võ Văn Ng. (one of the fish farmers) regarding an incident from May 2024, he went online to buy fish poison.

Taking advantage of the fact that on November 18, 2024, Bai Say village was holding the National Unity Day celebration, and Mr. Ng.'s family did not go to the farm to check on their fish pond, Hoi committed the act of releasing fish poison into Mr. Ng.'s pond, causing the poison to spread to many other ponds and resulting in mass fish deaths.

Hoi's tactic was to hide in the woods, throw plastic bottles containing fish poison into Mr. Ng's pond, and then use a CPC sports rifle to shoot holes in the bottles so the poison would spill out.

The police in Anh Son district have estimated the number of dead fish at 1.3 tons.

Currently, the Anh Son District Police Investigation Agency is holding Nguyen Minh Hoi in custody for processing according to regulations.

Previously, in April 2024, the family of Mr. Ha Ngoc Duong, 54 years old, in Hanh Lam commune (Thanh Chuong district), filed a report with the local authorities and relevant agencies regarding the fact that their rice field, which was almost ready for harvest, had been almost completely destroyed by fire. The report showed several unusual signs, such as uneven coverage of the rice plants, the fact that the damage only occurred in the plot cultivated by Mr. Duong's family, the rice panicles ceasing to develop, turning yellow in patches, and some adjacent patches of grass also showing signs of leaf burn. The estimated area of ​​rice destroyed by fire was approximately 500 square meters.

Mr. Duong's family suspects that someone malicious used chemicals to sabotage their property.

It is known that Mr. Duong had recently borrowed this rice field from his neighbor, Nguyen Nhu Sy (75 years old), to cultivate for the first time. This is also the same field that was vandalized with numerous sharp spikes after a prolonged land dispute lawsuit in which Mr. Nguyen Nhu Sy won the case. While authorities have yet to find the culprit, the rice field is suspected of being vandalized again while Mr. Duong is still cultivating it.

Going back even further, on December 20, 2023, while checking his field, Mr. Vo Van Duong, born in 1982, residing in Hamlet 1, Lam Son Commune, Do Luong District, was shocked to discover that thousands of pumpkin plants had been uprooted and cut at the base by vandals, with the stems and fruits withering. According to the owner, the pumpkins had been planted for more than two months and were about 20 days away from harvest, but the vandalism caused estimated losses of hundreds of millions of dong.

The vandalized area, approximately 4 hectares in size, is located near the Lam Son Commune People's Committee and was leased by Mr. Duong and Mr. Dinh Van Huynh, originally from Tao Son Commune (Anh Son District) - one of whom has many years of experience investing in agricultural production - to grow pumpkins.

According to local leaders, this is the first large-scale green pumpkin cultivation model implemented in Lam Son commune, which not only creates jobs for many laborers but also spreads modern, concentrated, and professional agricultural production methods, promising high profits. Unfortunately, the act of sabotage caused significant damage.

Previously, in Dien Ky commune, Dien Chau district, a similar incident occurred where the watermelon crop of Mr. Phan Van Ton (born in 1956), residing in Hamlet 2, was vandalized, resulting in a loss of approximately 250 kg of watermelons, estimated at around 1.3 million VND.

After receiving the report, the Provincial Police directed the Dien Chau District Police to focus on investigating and clarifying the involvement of 5 individuals in the theft and destruction of property: Chu Van Cuong (born in 2002); Chu Minh Nam (born in 2004); Nguyen Trong Tan (born in 2005); Nguyen Duc Phong (born in 2004); and Le Trung Huan (born in 2004), all residing in Quynh Dien commune, Quynh Luu district.

These individuals confessed that they were angry because they had previously stolen watermelons from Mr. Ton's family, were caught, and were reprimanded by local residents. After drinking alcohol, on the afternoon of July 3, 2022, they returned to Mr. Ton's watermelon field to seek revenge.

The destruction of other people's property, especially crops and livestock that farmers have painstakingly cultivated under the sun and rain, is a violation of the law and unethical behavior that needs to be severely punished. This behavior not only causes significant property damage but also creates anxiety among farmers. However, preventing and tracking down perpetrators is very difficult because most incidents occur at night, in sparsely populated areas with little traffic, making detection very challenging.

Strict action is needed.

According to Dr. Nguyen Trong Hai, a lawyer and Director of Trong Hai & Associates Law Firm: Recently, there have been many incidents involving direct infringements on the property of others, such as the case of thousands of green pumpkin plants being cut down in Do Luong district, the destruction of watermelon gardens about to be harvested in Dien Ky commune, Dien Chau district... or most recently, the poisoning of a fish pond belonging to a resident in Anh Son district.

These acts primarily involve the destruction or intentional damage of another person's property, and more seriously, property that is considered the primary means of livelihood for the victim and their family. The 2015 Penal Code, as amended in 2017, contains specific provisions regarding this type of behavior.

Accordingly, for acts of destroying or intentionally damaging another person's property, if there are sufficient grounds for criminal prosecution, based on the objective act, the object, the subject of the crime, and the consequences caused by that act, the offender may be prosecuted for the crime of destroying or intentionally damaging another person's property as stipulated in Article 178 of the 2015 Penal Code, amended and supplemented in 2017.

The minimum penalty for this crime is a fine of VND 10,000,000 to VND 50,000,000, non-custodial correctional punishment for up to 3 years, or imprisonment from 6 months to 3 years, and the maximum penalty is imprisonment from 10 to 20 years, depending on the extent of the damage caused by the act.

In addition, offenders may also be fined from VND 10,000,000 to VND 100,000,000, prohibited from holding office, prohibited from practicing a profession or performing a specific job for 1 to 5 years, or have part or all of their assets confiscated.

In addition to the aforementioned criminal penalties, the offender must also compensate the victim for damages as stipulated in the 2015 Civil Code.

In summary, the act of destroying or intentionally damaging another person's property is unethical, causing serious harm to the property and, more significantly, to the economy of the victim, especially when the destroyed or damaged property is their primary source of income.

This is a violation of the law that must be condemned and severely punished according to legal regulations in order to create a deterrent effect and stabilize the agricultural economy in particular, and security and order in rural areas in general.

On the other hand, to protect their rights and interests when they are violated, as soon as they discover such incidents, people should immediately report them to the local authorities and law enforcement agencies, and actively cooperate with law enforcement agencies to clarify the matter, promptly verify, apprehend, and prosecute the perpetrators.