
Brutal acts severely criticised
Early on June 11, a group of persons armed with guns and knivesattacked the headquarters of the People’s Committees of Ea Tieu and Ea Kturcommunes, including the offices of communal police, in Cu Kuin district,killing and injuring some police officers, communal officials, and civilians.
Shortlyafter the incident, local authotities quickly chased and arrested thesuspects, investigated the attacks, and stabilised security and order. Peace hasreturned to hamlets and villages of Ea Tieu and Ea Ktur.
Crueltyand brutality are how local people describe the armed attacks. More seriously, those persons were alsoready to kill any they met while fleeing.
H Blak Nie, a sixty-odd Kram villager of Ea Tieucommune who used to hold many positions of the communal and district administrationsand witnessed different development periods of the Central Highlands, said thatshe and other locals are very discontented with the barbaric acts by that groupof persons, which she considered unacceptable.
Another resident named H Juen Knul in Kram villagesaid the E De ethnic community could not tolerate those persons’ brutal acts,and such incident has never happened in Ea Tieu commune. “We are greatlyoutraged.”
The 73-year-oldpastor Ae Smit, also called Y Djan Eban in Knietvillage in Ea Ktur commune, angily said that was a brutal act that he has neverseen before. Locals were very anxious and hoped authorities will arrest andstringently deal with all the persons involved.
Thanks to strong moves by forces from the Ministry of PublicSecurity, Dak Lak province, and local administrations, peace has been restoredin Ea Tieu and Ea Ktur.
On June 14, Spokesman of the Ministry of Public Security Lt.Gen. To An Xo said authorities have arrested 46 persons and are hunting theremainders to strictly handle them in line with law.
Solidarity upheld

H Blak Nie said people of ethnic minority groupsare now more vigilant so as to safeguard security, order, and peace for theirvillages. They felt very angry at the recent incident.
She voiced her hope that Kinh majority people and those of otherethnic minority groups will become more and more closely united to assist one another, adding asmall group is unable to drive a wedge into the solidarity.
She heldthat to further strengthen the great national solidarity, authorities shouldcontinue having a good grasp of the situation in each area, and always listento and understand the public opinions and aspirations to launch programmesand policies that live up to people’s wishes. She also stressed the role ofreputable figures of villages in strengthening solidarity.
Echoing the view, Y Luyen Nie K’dam, former Secretary of theDak Lak provincial Party Committee, emphasised the importance of boostingsolidarity to thwart all plots, ruses, and distortions by hostile forces,thereby stabilising the security and order situation in ethnic minoritycommunities and reinforcing each family as a fortress in the combat againstsabotage attempts by hostile forces.
H’ Kim Hoa Bya, head of the mass mobilisation board of theDak Lak Party Committee, said that in the time ahead, the board will submitproposals to the Party Committee’s Standing Board to direct the increase ofcommunications, especially in areas inhabited by ethnic minority groups, in order to raise publicawareness, calm locals, and advise people not to follow incitements of the bad elements.
The mass mobilisation board has also askeddistrict-level administrations to frequently learn the public’s opinions totake timely measures for ensuring locals’ material and spiritual lives andhelping them stay alert against wrongful arguments of hostile forces, she added.
Spokesman To An Xo said that across different revolutionaryperiods, people of all ethnic groups in the Central Highlands have maintained their trust in the Party’s leadership and enormously contributed to successesof the Vietnamese revolution.
The public security force believes that via the recentincident, residents in the region will promote their vigilance and join handswith authorities in the fight against crimes as well as plots of hostile andreactionary forces in order to help with local and national development, heremarked./.