Aid relief sent to flood victims in the central region by philanthropists across the nation was allegedly appropriated by local authorities to support non-urgent and unauthorized renovations.
A Ho Chi Minh City based charitable organization Tuesday donated VND12.5 million (US$640) to 104 flooded households in Hamlet 3 of Huong Do Commune in Huong Khe District in Ha Tinh Province.
Instead of allocating VND120,000 ($6) to each of the households as formerly agreed, the hamlet’s management board handed each of them VND70,000 ($3.6) setting the remainder aside to cover decorative work on the village entry gate.
Pursuant to Vietnamese law, relief assistance must be handed over to local authorities, who will later distribute it to affected community members.
“Though money for food is still an urgent priority, VND50,000 ($2.5) were deducted from our allowances to cover decorative expenses for the gate,” a local Cao Thi Lai resident said angrily.
“We were also told that it is mandatory we all participate in the gate’s renovation work” another local resident, Nguyen Thi Vi, told Tuoi Tre.
When asked by a Tuoi Tre reporter, Bui Duc Do, chief of Hamlet 3, insisted the deduction was not unauthorized.
“They previously agreed to pay VND50,000 each to build the village gate so we just deducted it from the relief assistance and gave them the remainder,” he told Tuoi Tre.
Dinh Lam, chairman of the people’s committee of Huong Do Commune -- comprising many smaller hamlets, assured he would send investigators to the hamlets to verify the report.
“All of relief assistance must be equally distributed to the aid recipients,” he confirmed. “Local authorities are banned from using it for other expenses.”
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