VietNamNet Bridge – The family of the victim of a motorbike accident in northern Yen Bai Province early this month has asked the public to forgive a Facebook user who posted an offending message on the social networking site after he and his friend hit and killed the victim.

Twenty-year-old Nguyen Van Linh last Thursday admitted having written the message, which read:"Sad news! We are sorry to report that the man we collided with turned a stiff yesterday at 5.07pm. For your information, the guy was born in 1953, if you want to hit some lottery jackpots!" The message was posted under the Facebook nickname of Keo mut choi boi (playboy lollipop).

According to Yen Bai police, Nguyen Van Linh and his friend Doan Hiep were riding a motorbike on November 1 when they crashed into 58-year-old Nguyen Huu Giang, who was walking home in the province's Nguyen Thai Hoc Commune. Giang died two days later.

Linh's post drew hundreds of comments criticising his seemingly flippant attitude toward the event.

Nguyen Hoang Tam from Ha Noi National University of Education said the message was cruel and heartless, adding that criminal action should be taken against Linh to make an example out of him.

In the aftermath of the event, many Facebook users formed groups for the purpose of identifying and catching Linh. A few even posted his personal information online, including his pictures, background and phone number, which later helped the police locate him.

Linh eventually deleted his page in response to pressure from an irate Facebook community.

Linh was summoned by local police a week after the accident and admitted his role in the event.

He also visited the victim's home and apologised to his family members.

The victim's wife said she accepted Linh's apology and hoped that other young people would learn from his mistake.

She asked the online community to forgive Linh for his insensitivity.

According to the victim's daughter, Linh's fellow rider Hiep took care of her father in the hospital, paid the hospital fees, and gave her family VND10 million (US$480) to prepare for the funeral.

VietNamNet/Viet Nam News