An injured forest ranger was taken to Dak Nong General Hospital on October 23. Photo by nld

In an announcement sent out yesterday from the Government Office, Binh, who is also head of the Government's Anti-Crime Steering Committee, asked the Ministry of Public Security and authorities in Dak Nong Province to urgently find and arrest the shooters and carry out an investigation into the case.

According to authorities in Tuy Duc District's Quang Truc Commune in the highland province of Dak Nong, the shooting occurred at 8am October 23 when forest rangers from Long Son Company were clearing a cashew farm which is said to have been illegally occupied by a local household. Many local people arrived with knives, sticks and home-made guns to prevent their work. Three forest rangers were killed and ten others wounded in the clash.

Chairman of Quang Truc Commune People's Committee, Doan Hong Quan, told Nguoilaodong Newspaper that the shooting occurred at a remote area 50 kilometres away from the commune's centre.

"Long Son Company has been renting some 1,000 hectares of land in Dak Nong Province to carry out an agri-forestry project," Quan said. "However some of the land area has been illegally occupied by local people and the company is trying to recover."

 The shooting occurred in a remote area

The shooters then left the area when the local authorities arrived to take the injured to hospital.