12-6-2023 (HANOI) The death toll has reached nine, including four officers, following gun attacks on two police headquarters in Vietnam’s Central Highlands, authorities confirmed on Monday (Jun 12).
According to the Ministry of Public Security’s (MPS) website, twenty-six individuals have been arrested in connection with the unprecedented shootings that took place in the early hours of Sunday in the Cu Kuin district of Dak Lak province.
The MPS website stated, “In the early morning of Jun 11, 2023, a group of individuals on motorbikes used firearms and other dangerous weapons to launch an attack on and vandalize the people’s committee headquarters and police offices in the Ea Tieu and Ea Ktur communes.”
The site further revealed that four police officers, two local officials, and three civilians lost their lives, with two police officers sustaining serious injuries.
Authorities are currently conducting a search for additional suspects. An earlier report from the MPS stated that two individuals held hostage by the attackers were freed, while another managed to escape captivity.
Vietnam’s Central Highlands, which is home to various ethnic minorities, is considered a sensitive region for the country’s authoritarian government. It has long experienced discontent related to issues such as land rights.
During Vietnam’s prolonged war, certain tribes in the area, collectively known as Montagnards, aligned themselves with the US-backed south. Some advocate for greater autonomy, while others overseas support regional independence.
Several state media outlets initially withdrew their reports on the incident on Sunday before reissuing them hours later.
Gun violence is exceedingly rare in Vietnam, where private firearm ownership is illegal, and the black market for weapons is limited.
In January 2020, four individuals were shot and killed at an illegal cockfighting betting ring on the outskirts of Ho Chi Minh City.
In another infrequent shooting incident in 2016, two senior officials in Yen Bai province, located in the north, were killed by a colleague at their office before the gunman took his own life.
