Vietnam
Reporter dies ten days after arson attackPosted Feb 9 2011
On Feb. 15, Le Hoang Hung, a reporter for Nguoi Lao Dong newspaper in Vietnam died after being severely burned on Jan. 19 in his home. The attacker, not yet identified, poured chemicals on Hung while he was sleeping in his bed and set him on fire. According to the International Press Institute, Hung’s wife heard his screams, ran to his room and drenched him with water. Hung was transported to a hospital in Ho Chi Minh City where the doctor declared him stable, though he had third-degree burns over at least 20 percent of his body.
“The attack took place the evening before he was due to cover a court case in which a local authority in the southern province of Long An is being sued for illegal appropriation of land,” BBC South East Asia correspondent Rachel Harvey says.
The police have not arrested any suspects and are still speculating the cause of the crime, according to VietNamNet Bridge, an online Vietnamese newspaper. Hung reported on sensitive issues surrounding corruption in the Long An Province.
“Vietnam’s authorities must bring the perpetrators of this attack to justice and show that they will not be tolerated, in particular if they are aimed at silencing a journalist and thereby preventing the people from enjoying their right to information about issues of public concern,” IPI’s Acting Director Alison Bethel McKenzie said.