Speaking with the media on the sidelines of the Hanoi People’s Council meeting, Lieutenant General Nguyen Thanh Tung, Director of Hanoi Public Security, addressed reports of documents being burned near the Co Nhue 2 Ward People’s Committee office. He confirmed that no state secrets were involved.

According to General Tung, the city’s police have launched an investigation into the incident. Preliminary findings indicate the burned papers included discarded photocopies of identification cards, household registration documents, and referral letters from other agencies.

“The documents contained no state secrets,” General Tung asserted.

Earlier, reports noted that around 7:30 p.m. on June 24, residents discovered a fire near the Co Nhue 2 ward office. Among the flames were partially burned papers with red seals and content related to accounting, budgeting, and financial invoices.

An initial report from the ward stated that the documents were not original records. They were unused papers collected during a routine cleanup by ward departments. Local militia, tasked with clearing out the area, burned the discarded paperwork - not as a formal document disposal, but as part of general cleaning efforts.

N. Huyen