Two suspects detained in death of Vietnamese businesswoman in China
Two suspects allegedly responsible for the death of a Vietnamese businesswoman in mainland China in September last year have been arrested, according to Chinese authorities.
The two accused murderers of Ha Thuy Linh, a 46-year-old director of a firm based in Lam Dong Province in Vietnam’s Central Highlands, have been detained, Major General Ho Sy Tien, an official at the Ministry of Public Security, told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper on March 29.
According to Maj. Gen. Tien, Vietnamese police were informed of the situation by authorities from China.
The two suspects were arrested by Taiwanese police officers on March 23 while hiding on the island, Tien quoted Chinese authorities as saying.
The two are being kept in custody in Taiwan with their identities yet to be revealed, a police official continued, adding that police in Vietnam are coordinating with their Chinese and Taiwanese counterparts to stay updated on the case.
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However, Truong Quang Quy, legal counsel at Linh’s company, said that he and the victim’s family had been able to identify the two suspects through a recording of the piece of news that was aired on TVBS channel of Taiwan’s television network.
They are Hoang Thanh Tai, 63, and Tran Tuan Chung, 42, Quy said.
According to Quy and Linh’s older sister Ha My Chau, they have met Chung and Tai in Vietnam on several occasions, and the two suspects were previously the victim’s business partners.
Linh was found dead on September 22, three days after she arrived in Guangzhou on a business trip.
Post-mortem examination results showed that Linh suffered several injuries caused by external forces, including a damaged pancreas and rectum.
The victim’s body was returned to Vietnam on February 4 after Chinese authorities finished the autopsy, responding to a series of repatriation requests from Linh’s family members.
Linh was the director of Lam Dong-based Ha Linh O Long Tea Company famous for its tea exports to Taiwan and mainland China, accounting for 60% of its total production.
She founded the company in 2008 after she divorced her Taiwanese husband, who had established Haiyih Tea Company, where the woman was also a vice director.
