On 20/11, the Ha Tinh Provincial People's Court sentenced Xuyen, 54, a resident of Thien Cam commune, to 11 years and 6 months in prison. He was convicted of attempted murder and illegal use of military weapons, under Articles 123 and 304 of the Penal Code.

The incident occurred around 4 p.m. on 15/1 in Tay Nguyen village, Thien Cam commune (formerly Nam Phuc Thang commune, Cam Xuyen district). Five members of the land conversion steering committee were measuring and re-dividing rice fields in the He Mieu area. Tran Huu Xuyen, however, disagreed with the new plot allocated to him, despite it being part of a land consolidation program. He insisted on retaining his old plot. Although the committee offered his family an additional 13 *thuoc* (a traditional unit of measurement) of new land, approximately 500 square meters, near the proposed new area, Xuyen still objected.

Defendant Xuyen in court. Photo: *Hung Le*.

According to authorities, when the steering committee began placing stakes to mark the new field boundaries, Xuyen approached them with a knife over 40 cm long. He began shouting and then slashed Bui Van Chuong, the Tay Nguyen village secretary, on the head, causing him to fall unconscious in the field. Tran Quoc Lap, who was nearby and attempted to intervene, was also struck on the head. Mr. Chuong sustained 30% health damage, while Mr. Lap suffered 10%.

During the trial, Xuyen expressed remorse, stating that he lost control of his actions in a moment of anger. He requested a reduced sentence to atone for his mistakes. However, the court deemed Xuyen's actions highly dangerous to society and a deliberate attempt to take human lives. The court noted that the victims' survival was beyond the defendant's subjective intent, necessitating a strict sentence for deterrence and public prevention.

Duc Hung