Meanwhile in Vietnam: Village arrests police

[madd0ct0r]

https://m.vietnambreakingnews.com/2017/ ... d-dispute/
http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/s ... gAa7rpLoCQ

In a small suburnan village, villagers have arrested 30 policemen and have formed a small garrison and are blocking the roads asking for the government to follow the law.
So, what appears to have happened:

0) in the rapidly ubanising country, land can be incredibly valuable. this village is 19miles from Hanoi.
1) People were protesting the governement taking their land under planning laws, with nominal value paid
2) The city police were sent in to impose the governments will*
3) The police arrested / took hostage four people leading the protest.
4) The crowd retailiated and took 30 policement hostage. This brings us into the present.

Roads leading to the communal house, where the officials are held, were blocked by a crowd of around 30 holding sticks as of Sunday afternoon.

Two men who identified themselves as commune representatives said they want the government to release the detained villagers.
“All we want is for the land to be cleared in accordance with the law,” one woman told VnExpress.
“We provide enough food and water for the police officers and we treat them courteously,” a resident named Loan added.

*historically, some people get very rich off these schemes, and they tend not to be the villagers

[Shroom Man 777]

In communist Vietnam, police are arrested by YOU!

[Sea Skimmer]

This would be exactly why the Chinese are going so crazy for internet censorship. If it happens once, it can happen everywhere.

[madd0ct0r]

This would be exactly why the Chinese are going so crazy for internet censorship. If it happens once, it can happen everywhere.

When i was out there and a similar protester immolated himself in front of da nang city hall, I heard with an hour from a friend who got it from a colleague who got it from a sister in another city 200 miles away.

Mobiles and grapevine faster than internet when all are primed. Then tame newspapers like those linked report it, and Vietnamese chindits are already posting fake rumours about villager brutality and cruelty to harden public response.
Just like those ant china riots a way back

[Sea Skimmer]

China at least censors cellphone stuff too, certainly not as effectively but not with impotence either, the work around has been ever evolving slang codes that keep undermining the Chinese efforts to field fully automated censorship systems. But given how much money China throws at AI research in general I am doubtful that such codes will work as well as they do now in the future.

Vietnam doesn't have anything like the money China does so they aren't likely to develop anything from scratch, or employ 50,000 full time staff to back it up, but the better such technology gets the cheaper it is to buy off the shelf.

[Ralin]

China at least censors cellphone stuff too, certainly not as effectively but not with impotence either

Can you give any sources for this? I live in China and I'm familiar with the Great Firewall, but I don't know much about any cellphone specific stuff.

[madd0ct0r]

I'm hearing, but can't find any articles for, that the remainder of the police/officials have been released, following the Hanoi City Chief meeting them and having his arm twisted into writing a letter promising no reprisals. Reminds me of a case a few years back where a scientist farmer who had brought a large area of land into productivity was being kicked off now the land had value, and set up a bunch of traps and fortifacations. Evenetually the kickoff was declared illeagel, and he was released.

The protestors were holding big banners saying "We suppport the goverment". Subtext - we don't trust local officals. Good Tsar, Bad Boyhazs all over again. Another burning match carefully negotiated.