Dog thief sentenced to death in central Vietnam

• 47 dogs seized as police bust dog meat ring in southern Vietnam
• 5 Vietnamese arrested for beating dog theft suspect to dead

A court in the northern province of Thanh Hoa has sentenced a dog thief to death and jailed another for killing a dog owner.

According to a verdict delivered on Friday, Pham Tuan Su faces death while his accomplice, Nguyen Van Sy, will spend six years in prison.

Both men have been identified as 26-year old drug addicts.

On July 24, Bui Duc Tuan, 48, began chasing Su and Sy after observing them stab and snatch his dog. The duo turned a knife on their pursuer, only to be caught down the road by police.

Around five million dogs are killed in Vietnam every year, making it the world's second-biggest consumer of dog meat after China, which consumes roughly 20 million.

The consumption has been criticized by many in Vietnam and around the world as most of the dogs are pets stolen and killed in brutal ways.

Vietnam does not have strong regulations to stop the practice. Dog thieves and the people they do business with are rarely punished.

Current laws only treat theft as a criminal offense if the object’s value exceeds VND2 million ($87). Due to rising pressure from both inside and outside the country, legislators are considering a provision that would criminalize pet theft.

Related news:

> 47 dogs seized as police bust dog meat ring in southern Vietnam

> 5 Vietnamese arrested for beating dog theft suspect to dead