VietNamNet Bridge – For years, rocks have become a threat for passengers aboard vehicles, especially in the central region, as some youngsters have been playing a dangerous game: throwing stones at passing vehicles just for fun. Such stone-hurling incidents have been reported frequently in recent days, prompting law enforcement forces to act to stop this dangerous action.

Truong Trieu Luong, a bus passenger, had to have his left eye removed after he was hit by a rock on September 24, 2014 in Daklak.

This week, police in the Central Highlands province of Dak Nong have arrested five men suspected of stoning a bus on a national highway after they had gotten drunk. Their stone attack broke many of the vehicle’s windows, injuring the bus driver, Phan Van Doan, 45, in one of his eyes.

While Doan was driving the bus in Dak Nrot Commune on the way from Daklak Province to Dak Nong Province at midnight on Sunday the vehicle was attacked by the five young men. These youngsters gathered at a coffee shop along National Highway 14 and threw stones at the passing bus. Doan was taken to the Dak Mil General Hospital and got 29 stitches in the injured eye area. Due to the severity of the wound, he was transferred to a hospital in HCMC for intensive treatment. And bus damage caused by the incident is estimated at VND10 million (US$460).

As reported by Tuoi Tre, the police in the province’s Dak Mil District questioned Le Van Hai, 22, Nguyen Song Hung, 19, Lang Thanh Man, 19, and two other youths over their involvement in the stoning of the sleeper bus of Thuan Tien Transport Tourism Co. Ltd.

During the interrogation, these men admitted their offense and said they had thrown stones at the bus just for fun.

“Some of us occasionally suggested stoning a bus after we got drunk. I agreed and joined. That was all,” Hung told police officers.

Stone-throwing at long-haul buses is not uncommon in Vietnam. Earlier, two men had been arrested in the southern province of Binh Phuoc for allegedly throwing stones at passing buses, a scourge that has emerged in several localities and sparked a nationwide investigation. Last month, a court in central Vietnam sentenced a 17-year-old boy to four years in jail for throwing stones at two buses on a national highway and causing a passenger to lose an eye last September. The boy, who was also ordered to pay the victim VND50 million (US$2,292), told the court he had thrown stones at passing vehicles for fun. The miscreants, most of them young people, used to target trains but have turned to buses in recent years after trains installed steel bars on their windows.

Captain Bui Xuan Hung, chief of the Dak Mil investigation police agency, says the five men involved in the latest case do not have stable jobs and often drink late at night. Local police are collecting more information and evidence related to this serious case, and the suspects may face criminal charges.

Truong Van Luan, Thuan Tien’s director, says that Doan is running the risk of having one blind eye. “Our buses have suffered such rock attacks many times though our firm has had no conflict with other passenger transport companies. Those attacks not only caused damage to us but also big worry for our passengers.”

Meanwhile, Doan says many buses of other firms have also been attacked by stones on the same highway between Daklak and Binh Phuoc provinces.

“I have heard from other drivers who spread a rumor that a trader of automobile glass in HCMC has hired people to launch such attacks so that the trader can sell its products,” the driver said.

Uong Viet Dung, deputy chief of the Secretariat at the National Traffic Safety Committee, says in Nguoi Lao Dong that stone hurling has been a critical issue for years. Many cases have occurred on the National Highway 14 section between Dak Nong and Kon Tum provinces. The committee has asked local police and authorities to investigate the cases and seriously punished culprits.

“Maybe, this is a consequence of competition among coach companies. We are still looking into the cause. However, for any purposes, stoning is a dangerous act as it can hurt drivers and passengers physically and mentally, and cause serious traffic accidents. Culprits must be brought to justice. We will also report to the Government at the next monthly meeting,” Dung says.

Nguyen Thi Tuyet Nga from the HCMC University of Technology and Education says in Lao Dong newspaper that unhealthy competition has been going out of control and stone throwing may be a malpractice of coach companies. However, this can kill people.