21/05/2009
http://english.vietnamnet.vn

VietNamNet Bridge – HCM City police seized 42 guns of various kinds, over 1000 rounds of ammunition, two grenades and many other kinds of weapons in the first quarter of 2009. Meanwhile, the city has reported many armed robberies so far this year.

Weapon trading ring in HCM City
Weapon market in southern border area

Senior lieutenant-colonel Nguyen Van Dung, chief of the HCM City Police Department for Administrative Management over Social Order, spoke with VietNamNet about this issue.

The number of armed robberies has increased recently in HCM City, why?

Immigrants are flocking into HCM City, including criminals from other provinces. Some gangs use guns and other weapons to rob goldsmith stores or cash from people who have withdrawn money from banks.

Weapon trading is rampant on the net. Weapons are brought from China, Cambodia and Laos via land borders into Vietnam and it is the reason for this situation.

How many weapons has your agency seized so far this year?

In the first three months of 2009, we captured 42 guns, 1037 rounds of ammunition, two grenades and 115 other kinds of weapons, instruments.

We have combined with the Police Department for Social Order-related Crime to bust a weapon-trading ring based in District 10.

The danger of criminals is intensified because of weapons. How has your agency dealt with this?

We have strengthened the management and guidance of weapon use. We have also cooperated with other bodies to encourage people to voluntarily hand in weapons.

The government’s circular 150/CP on administrative fines for security and social order is the basis from which we punish those who use, trade in weapons.

What were the sources of the weapons used by criminals in the cases that police were able to crack?

Most of the weapons were sourced from Cambodia. For example, Huynh Huu Nhan, who robbed 400 taels of gold from a goldsmith’s shop in District 7 in March 2009, declared that he bought an AK rifle and one K54 short gun in Cambodia.

Criminals often buy weapons overseas and bring them back to Vietnam, including HCM City. To deal with this, it is necessary to tighten control at the border to prevent the illegal import of weapons into Vietnam.

Quoc Quang – Dam De