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International News Title: Vietnamese Farmers Protest Confiscation HANOI, Vietnam (AP) - Hundreds of farmers camped out in front of a National Assembly building in the capital Tuesday in a rare protest of the seizure of their land for development, saying it threatens their livelihood. The farmers from Hung Yen province, many barefoot and wearing weathered conical hats, were angered by the developer, Viet Hung Co. Ltd., which originally offered to pay them $1,200 for 3,875 square feet of land without negotiation. "It was announced on the loudspeaker that this private company is taking that land to build a new residential area," said farmer Nguyen Van An, 40. "The villagers do not want to sell their land. They would be unemployed and go hungry." But an official with the district People's Committee said the project was approved by the prime minister two years ago and awarded to Viet Hung, a group of private companies. The residential area would cover 1,235 acres in three villages about 12 miles southeast of Hanoi, affecting more than 4,000 families, said the official, Nguyen Van Anh. More than 1,000 families have received compensation, while others demanded higher payments earlier this year after two government officials were quoted by state-controlled media as saying the farmers should be paid market value for their land, Anh said. She said the investors recently agreed to raise the compensation to $1,500, and also offered farmers the option of buying 215 square feet of adjacent land for every 3,875 square feet taken. But many villagers demanded more money or refused to sell altogether. "We've done everything right," Anh said. "The area was planned for a new residential area by the provincial government, and the project was approved by the prime minister and relevant government agencies." Farmers from the three affected villages met with government officials to try to resolve the problem. Those gathered outside sat quietly. Large demonstrations are rare in Vietnam, where the authorities typically break up gatherings, although a few farmers have rallied outside government buildings before to demand fair compensation for seized land.
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