Re: Not adding up
The dispute involves construction company employees and independent warm-body security guards.
Security guards over here in VietNam are not used as they are in the West. Since the Cong An (Peoples Police) spend most of their time sitting in mini-police stations, or collecting bribes. Apart from seeing Cong An driving back and forth to their homes I have not had a dealings with them for about two years.
Bet you can't say that about the pushy Plod and Cops in the West.
The private security industry is lightly regulated and is manned by warm-body 'Wanna-be Cops' type people. Neither are they used in a fashion that you would not recognise.
I go to a bank in Ho Chi Minh and a 'bite' has been taken out of the public side walk so that members of the minority car driving public can park conveniently for bank access. When I park in this area, on my motorscooter, out come the nobodys in uniform and start ordering me to park elsewhere. They have no jurisdiction on this public area.
I also ride my bicycle there and, conveniently, there is a heavy drain cover with a handle to which I chain my bicycle to. On one occasion, after warning me, they called the cops and I waited at an adjacent coffee patio and after 30 minutes the cops arrived and after viewing my bike the Cops started screaming at the guards for wasting their time.
Every store of decent size has it's security guards. At the Giants supermarket the security guards hand search ALL staff members leaving the store INCLUDING MANAGERS. They feel they are doing the cops work. And the male guards getting their rocks off searching the females.
All this excitement between construction workers and security guards is simply some immature guard pushing the rules, and his luck, in trying to raise his stature. Given that their motorcycles and container accommodation were destroyed by fire, it's likely a new company will be hired to take over the building site.
P.S. Vietnamese police ALWAYS say they are investigating the matter!