VietNamNet Bridge – At around 7 am on July 5, many pedestrians and staff of Dong Hoa District People's Court (Phu Yen Province) panicked when they saw an elderly woman pouring gasoline on her body and burning herself at the drawing-room of the court. People rushed to put out the fire but the woman did not survive.

The victim was identified as Mrs. Nguyen Thi Buong, 84, a resident of Phuoc Luong village in Hoa Xuan Tay commune, Dong Hoa district. The woman left at the scene a helmet, some papers and diabetes medications.

Mr. Doan Dung, Chief Judge of Dong Hoa District People's Court, said at the time the incident occurred, the court staff were reading newspapers and exchanged on the job while security forces worked behind, so they did not know exactly when the woman came. When seeing the flames, court officials ran out and saw the woman burning herself.

The judge also said that three years ago the Dong Hoa District People's Court settled the divorce between her daughter - Tran Thi Giau, 51 and Nguyen Van Lap, 53. The judgment declared that Lap has to return 3/10 tael of gold that Lap borrowed Mrs. Buong. The record was transferred to the district Law Enforcement Division to enforce the sentence.

Mr. Nguyen Kim Dong, head of the Law Enforcement Division of Dong Hoa district told HCM City Law Newspaper that the division distrained a set of table and chairs of Mr. Lap and gave it to Mrs. Buong to deduct 1/10 tael of gold so Lap still owes Mrs. Buong 2/10 tael of gold.

In September 2011, the division returned the requests for law enforcement to Mrs. Buong since Lap was unable to pay the debt. "To date, Mrs. Buong has not requested enforcement of the sentence again so we do not know where is Lap now, what he is doing and if he can pay the debt or not," Mr. Dong said.

Mrs. Buong’s family confirmed that though the woman was old, she still had a sound mind. She repeatedly proposed enforcement agencies to force Lap to repay the remaining gold to help Lap’s two children who are staying with their mother in very tragic circumstances. Previously, Lap beat his wife into a disability and ran away. After being arrested, he went to jail. Since the divorce, he has not supported raising the two children. Because of Lap’s violent acts, his ex-wife could not work to raise her children.

"Lap is preparing to get married the second time. He has a job and is completely capable to pay the debt," said a family member.

According to investigators, perhaps Mrs. Buong thought that the court made the sentence so it must be responsible to force Lap to pay the remaining gold to her ,so she committed suicide by gasoline at the courthouse of Dong Hoa District.

PL TPHCM