General Officer Be Xuan Truong, President of the Vietnam Veterans Association and former Deputy Minister of National Defense, has submitted an eight-page letter to the Chief Justice of the Supreme People's Court and the Chief Prosecutor of the Supreme People's Procuracy. He is calling for a reconsideration of the case involving six veterans who were convicted of "forest destruction" in Lam Dong province.

The veterans, including Do Manh Hung, Nguyen Xuan Dung, Hoang Van San, Nguyen Nam Thai, Vu Tat Dak, and Cao Minh Dien, have been fighting for justice for over 11 years. In 2015, the local veterans' association held a meeting to clear brush and prepare land for planting acacia trees, which they believed was not forested land. However, they were later charged with forest destruction.

Despite serving prison sentences of six to seven months, the six veterans have consistently claimed their innocence. The case has undergone three trials and appeals, with a notable ruling in 2020 by the High People's Court in Ho Chi Minh City that annulled the previous convictions due to insufficient evidence. However, upon retrial, the Lam Dong Regional Court upheld the original convictions.

In his letter, General Officer Be Xuan Truong emphasized the lack of clarity regarding the actual area of forest that was allegedly destroyed. The prosecution claimed that the veterans had committed the offense over four days in January and April 2015, but the evidence indicated that the area affected was only 4,000 square meters, below the threshold of 5,000 square meters required for criminal charges under the 1999 Penal Code.

Moreover, a report from April 2015 indicated that the area had already been completely cleared of forest prior to the alleged actions of the veterans. The Vietnam Veterans Association has raised concerns about the validity of the evidence used in the case, including the qualifications of the experts who conducted the assessments.

General Officer Be Xuan Truong has called for an independent and comprehensive evaluation of the evidence in this case, urging the judicial authorities to thoroughly investigate the matter to ensure justice is served for the veterans.