Police in Ky Anh district, in the central province of Ha Tinh, on May 28 returned assets to the Taiwanese Formosa company, which had been stolen during recent social disorder.

After learning about looting from the factory, which is located in the Vung Ang Economic Zone, Ha Tinh police promptly tracked down places where the illegal trade of the plundered assets would take place and reclaimed the stolen goods. Meanwhile, other thieves returned some of it after an appeal by the police.

As a result, a vast number of the plundered assets, including 17 computer central processing units, 10 computer screens, three photocopy machines, 5.8 tonnes of steel, six industrial-size refrigerators, and 11 motorbikes have been retaken by the local police and handed back to the company.

Representing the aggrieved party, Thai Quoc Duong, head of Formosa’s security office, thanked Ha Tinh’s law enforcement forces and the Ky Anh police in particular for their swift measures to retrieve the stolen assets and ensure public order at the worksite, which will help the project soon return to its usual operations.

Duong expressed his hope that the local police will continue investigations to recover the remaining lost assets.

The Ha Tinh police will continue searching for extremists and looters and bring them to court.

To date, the provincial police have detained and commenced criminal proceedings against 24 people on charges of looting and destroying assets and disrupting social order in the Forsoma worksite.

The disturbances broke out during workers’ rallies in protest of China’s illegal placement of its oil rig Haiyang Shiyou – 981 in Vietnam’s continental shelf and exclusive economic zone from early May.

Some extremists incited others to destroy the property of foreign firms in some localities as well as of the State, businesses and individuals, and acted against law enforcement officials, disrupting social order and business activities. Thanks to the government’s timely interference, most affected companies have returned to work and social order and security has been restored.-VNA