Vietnamese Official Arrested for Sand-Mining Extortion
A Vietnamese official has been nabbed for allegedly teaming up with underground gangs to squeeze money out of sand mining businesses, the police revealed on Wednesday. The sand mining industry, which is primarily used for construction concrete, has seen a rapid surge in Vietnam in recent years, raising concerns about overexploitation. The communist authorities in Vietnam have launched an investigation into this profitable business, and on Tuesday, they apprehended Luu Binh Nhuong, the deputy head of the National Assembly’s People’s Aspirations Committee.
Nhuong stands accused of extortion, as stated by the Ministry of Public Security in a released statement. This case also involves Pham Minh Cuong, a criminal who was previously arrested for extorting protection money from sand mining businesses near Hanoi. According to state media reports, Cuong coerced mining businesses into paying tens of thousands of dollars. However, the precise link between the official and Cuong remains undisclosed.
The police conducted a search of Nhuong’s residence and office, confiscating documents and other items for further investigation. In a separate incident in August, a senior official in An Giang, a Mekong Delta province, was arrested for allegedly accepting bribes amounting to $50,000 from a mining company. The Trung Hau 68 Company was found to have extracted over 4.7 million cubic metres of sand, despite being licensed to extract only a third of that amount, as per police reports.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh recently urged authorities to review the extraction of natural minerals, particularly sand for construction. A significant report by WWF in August cautioned that the rapid sand mining to fuel Vietnam’s construction boom is depleting resources at an alarming rate. The report warned that the Mekong delta, which is the country’s “rice bowl,” could run out of resources in just over a decade.
The arrest of the Vietnamese official sheds light on the illicit activities within the sand mining industry, highlighting the need for stricter regulations and oversight to prevent exploitation and corruption.
(Source: Philippian Post)