Hanoi (dpa) – Authorities in northern Vietnam sacked two district officials who gave eviction orders in a scandal over land rights that rocked the nation, media reports said Friday. The Hai Phong People's Committee on Thursday dismissed the chairman of the Tien Lang District People's Committee, Le Van Hien, and his deputy, Nguyen Van Khanh, the Thanh Nien newspaper reported. The eviction of Doan Van Vuon on January 5 in the district sparked a media furor when images of the farmer's family resisting police with homemade explosives and guns were broadcast nationwide. The incident prompted a debate among bloggers and the media about land use rights, a hot issue in a country where the state gives farmers the right to use land but keeps control of it. Many local authorities have taken advantage of a lack of transparency and accountability in the law to give farmers low compensation when taking their land for development projects. When announcing the results of an investigation into the incident this month, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung called the decision to evict Vuon illegal, said the authorities who ordered it should be punished and called for reform in land management across the country. Analysts have warned the issue could damage the authority of the Communist Party if left unchecked. BM ShortURL: http://goo.gl/ADCri Tags: Dispute, Land, Vietnam Section: East Asia