Thousands in Vietnam disciplined

Thousands in Vietnam disciplined

HANOI (Reuters): More than 2,000 Communist Party members and
officials have been disciplined in a northern Vietnam province
that saw serious unrest three years ago, the party newspaper
reported on Thursday.

The Nhan Dan (People) daily blamed bad management,
bureaucracy, corruption and a lack of democracy for the unrest in
November 1997 in Thai Binh province, 80 kilometers south of
Hanoi. It said complaints against officials had accumulated there
in recent years.

At the height of the troubles in November 1997, farmers at a
commune in the province's Quynh Phu district held 23 police
officers hostage for five days.

In July 1998, a court sentenced more than 30 farmers to jail
for offenses ranging from causing public disorder to illegally
detaining local police and beating officials.