Hostage takers in Dong Tam blocked off a street during their land dispute protest. The ironic banner reads, "The people of Dong Tam commune absolutely trust the policy and path of the Party and the State". People in Dong Tam, 40 km (25 miles) from the centre of Hanoi, say they were given insufficient compensation by authorities taking over residential land for a telecommunications project. Fifteen of the hostages were freed on Monday and three others escaped while authorities also released the detained protesters, but the standoff has continued. Residents said they feared that if they accepted the invitation to the meeting on Thursday they would be arrested.

Source: Bangkok Post April 20, 2017 19:41 UTC