Vietnam student murdered over Internet insult
An argument over insulting language in an Internet chat room turned deadly in Vietnam when a 20-year-old university student stabbed a student from another school.
Police are searching for Nguyen Van Xuan, an English language student at Hanoi Open University, in the stabbing death of Nguyen Minh Ngoc, 24, the boyfriend of one of Xuan's classmates.
The trouble apparently started when Ngoc's girlfriend, Huong Tra, took offense at Xuan's calling her "crazy" in a class Internet forum. She posted angry replies demanding that Xuan apologize, and when he refused, she telephoned her boyfriend and asked him to confront Xuan.
Ngoc, a student at the Hanoi Construction University, came to the school after classes ended Tuesday and got into an argument with Xuan at about 5:30 p.m., according to Vu Anh Tuan, the head teacher of the English department.
"The three of them met outside the school gates and exchange words. During the argument, Xuan took a knife from his bag and stabbed Nguyen Minh Ngoc four times," Tuan said.
Ngoc died at the scene and Xuan fled, the teacher said.
"We're all very shocked because both Xuan and Tra are very good students with the highest marks," Tuan said.
The English class Internet forum, which was used to help students study together, has been temporarily disabled.
Financial Mirror (.cy) - February 24, 2006.
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