Forest station vandalized as authorities remove illegal coffee crops in Vietnam

Nguyen Duc, director of the Lak Lake Historical, Cultural and Environmental Forest Management Board, said Station No. 2 in subzone 1343 was attacked on Wednesday while an interagency team was enforcing a provincial order to clear encroached forestland.

He said the team uprooted newly-planted coffee across subzones 1339, 1343 and 1353. 

The area forms part of more than 16.5 hectares that authorities say were seized for unauthorized coffee cultivation.

Duc said residents had earlier been told to remove crops but did not comply. 

Crowds gathered when the operation began, pressuring officers and blocking the clearance.

The station was damaged after groups of residents from Nam Pa and Dong Yang hamlets returned on Thursday and Friday, shouting threats and destroying equipment, Duc said.

Surveillance cameras, roofing sheets and other items were smashed, and a fire damaged documents and furniture.

Local police and forest rangers dispersed the crowds and evacuated staff. 

Authorities suspended the clearance operation because of safety concerns.

Duc said rising coffee prices have spurred fresh encroachment. 

Since June, the board has recorded 22 cases of forest clearing and land grabbing for coffee, totalling more than 16.5 hectares.

The management board oversees 10,333 hectares of land around Lak Lake, including about 7,867 hectares of forest. 

Duc said more than 2,400 hectares without forest cover have been fully occupied and cultivated by residents, mainly with coffee.