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Vietnam to deport US student over protest
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Top Stories |
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IANS | 21 Jul, 2018
A court in Vietnam has ordered the deportation of a US student arrested at a demonstration that turned violent.
William
Nguyen was found guilty of "causing public disorder" following his
detention in June from a protest in Ho Chi Minh City against new
economic zones that demonstrators believed will be dominated by Chinese
investors.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo raised Nguyen's case with Vietnamese officials, the BBC reported on Friday.
Authorities
detained more than 100 people as the demonstration turned violent with
the use of rocks and petrol bombs. Six Vietnamese nationals were also
jailed.
Nguyen was to be deported immediately after the one-day
trial on Friday. The US Embassy in Hanoi said it was pleased with the
outcome. Otherwise, the maximum sentence for the 32-year-old would have
been seven years in prison.
"The jury acknowledged that the
defendant admitted his illegal activities. Considering his sincerity,
the court did not hand him a prison sentence," a state newspaper report
of the court proceedings said.
Nguyen, a Yale graduate from the
state of Texas, was visiting Vietnam when he began documenting the
demonstrations. He joined protesters in Ho Chi Minh City on June 10,
tweeting "how enormous of an achievement" the demonstrations were for
the Vietnamese people.
According to his family and friends,
Nguyen was "beaten over the head and dragged into the back of a police
truck". The state media said he was "causing trouble" but the government
has denied using force against him.
The proposed economic law
would give foreign investors 99-year leases on land in three designated
special economic zones across Vietnam.
Protesters believe the
bill -- the passage of which has been delayed -- will allow Chinese
companies to take control of Vietnamese land.
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