Phu Quoc town chairman reprimanded for land violations

Huynh Quang Hung, chairman of the People's Committee of Phu Quoc town, Kien Giang province, was reprimanded for violations in management of land in the locality.

The Kien Giang Inspection Committee also reprimanded Tran Chien Thang, former vice chairman of Phu Quoc People's Committee, now chief inspector of Kien Giang province; and Truong Thanh Tan, former head of Phu Quoc's department of natural resources and environment, now chief inspector of Phu Quoc.

After nearly one year of inspecting, the Kien Giang Inspectorate determined that six out of nine communes and wards in Phu Quoc showed signs of loose management, causing 744 cases of occupying land managed by the state and illegally building houses on an area of more than 200 hectares.

The inspection team discovered 202 plots of land were sold illegally, of which nearly 80 plots are residential land and the rest is agricultural and non-agricultural land or land without a land use right certificate. But local authorities have only handled 29 cases as violations.

Regarding forest land, Phu Quoc authorities detected 986 cases of violations involving more than 200 hectares, but only 274 cases have been handled, while 385 cases of encroachment on forest land managed by the Phu Quoc National Park have not been handled completely.

In addition to the provincial and town leaders, the inspection agency has also proposed to review the responsibility of 10 entities and 45 state employees.