On April 20, Dega compatriots in Ea Bhok commune, Cư Kuin district, Dak Lak province, protested against the water releasing system that will release waste water into Ea Mta lake, at Ea Bhok village. They were concerned wastewater will merge with rain water in the lake, causing pollution and flooding in areas nearby.
The Vietnamese government sent dozens of mobile police with batons, shields, and dogs to deal with the Dega protesters forcefully.
Many of the protesters were women, who live in Ea Mta and Ea Bhok village.
The protestors said:
The mobile police used batons and electric whips to attack us.
They bashed and injured 7 people, 3 had to go to emergency, for head, mouth, ear, shoulder injuries.
A pregnant woman was pushed and fell on the ground, another woman had a broken shoulder, and a person fainted after being attacked with the electric whip. A man was pushed to the ground by the police, who then kicked his head, causing bleeding to his ears and his teeth.
12 people were arrested and brought back to the police office.
3 people who had been admitted to emergency would return home on April 24; those who were brought to the police office were released on the day of their arrest after pledging in writing that they would not protest against the project, if they did again, they would be jailed.
Yes, the Vietnamese government is dumping the waste from the Vietnamese cities into our lakes, but we would like to keep our villages green and clean even though we are poor.
This is the 3rd time the Vietnamese government attempted to do this to Ea Mta village. The Dega community here complained formally to the district and provincial authorities, but the outcome of their complaints was sentenced to prison.
This is happening to many villages in the Central Highlands. The Vietnamese government is taking away our lands and pushing us into the rocky and unpleasant places of our country.
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