VietNamNet Bridge - Dozens of police officers of Son Tay district in the central province of Quang Ngai were mobilized to escort people home after they received cash compensation from the Dakdrinh hydropower project, to protect from being mobbed by merchants.

Lieutenant Colonel Dinh Quang Ven, Son Tay district police chief said that before the hydropower plant paid compensation, the local authorities had met with locals to check their disputes and loans with merchants to prevent merchants from mobbing locals’ compensation right after they are paid.

On December 9-10, over 70 Son Tay district police officers were mobilized to ensure security at the compensation paying bureau.

Mr. Pham Hong Khuyen, Chairman of Son Long Commune, said that 164 households received compensation totaling VND164 billion ($8 million) from the Dakdrinh hydroelectric project this time. The highest compensation was up to VND2 billion ($100,000) and the lowest was VND200 million ($10,000).

"The people’s awareness is limited, so after they received large sums of money, they may be deceived by the bad or spend extravagantly. The risk of becoming poor again after receiving compensation is huge," Khuyen said.

The compensation receivers are Ca Dong ethnic people, who lack knowledge of the modern lifestyle.

After listening to advice from the authorities, Mr. Dinh Van Cham, a resident of Long Son commune, decided to deposit VND300 million ($15,000) in the bank as savings.

However, most Ca Dong people want to buy motorbikes and household items with the compensation.

The police officers and bank staff escorted locals to their home, to protect them from being deceived or mobbed by merchants on the way. Previously, many people in the communes of Son Long and Son Lien lost all of their compensation money on the way home.

There is a fact that some merchants loaned locals at very high interest rates and when locals received compensation from the hydropower plant, the merchants came to take all of their money.

According to the Son Tay district government, since late 2012 the Dakdrinh hydroelectric project paid local people land compensation totaling VND142 billion ($7 million). In late 2013, they continued paying compensation, with approximately VND120 billion ($6 million).

"Being escorted by the police, I brought my compensation home very safely. I would listen to officials’ advice to buy breeding pigs to raise and acacia seedlings to plant. The remaining amount will be deposited at bank as savings for my children," said Mr. Dinh Van Lanh, a Son Long commune’s resident.

The construction of the Dakdrinh Hydropower Plant began in January 2011. The project is located in the communes of Son Long, Son Lien and Son Dung, in Son Tay district, Quang Ngai province and KongPlong district of Kon Tum province. The plant has a capacity of 125MW and a total investment of VND3.423 trillion.

Earlier, Son Tay district police helped 42 households take back VND16 billion ($800,000) from merchants and encouraged locals to deposit VND11 billion ($500,000) at banks.

In the latest case, after 14 households in Son Lien commune received compensation worth VND9 billion ($450,000), their money was mobbed by merchants on the way home.

Xuan Lan