Chapter 23 — Where Old Elephants Rest

The official mediation session took place at the Krong Sar district court hall on a morning at the beginning of the month, when the weather in the Central Highlands began to change to the first dry days of the season. Ha Lam wore a simple blue ao dai, and with her father, even though he was still weak, sat in the defendant's row in the lawsuit, facing the powerful team of lawyers from Hoang Kim Group sitting on the other side.

Truong Hoang Long appeared in a neat black suit, with his usual confident attitude, but Ha Lam noticed that there was some tension hidden under that calm shell, perhaps because public pressure was weighing heavily on his shoulders after the television report and the touching story about Sao Mai's emergency night that spread throughout the country.

The conciliation council, including court representatives, representatives of the Department of Natural Resources and Environment, and an independent land expert, began the session by asking both sides to present their views. Hoang Kim's lawyer, a sharp young man, opened by re-emphasizing the argument about "unclear land origin", citing registration records from thirty years ago that had some points that did not match the current cadastral map.

In his turn, lawyer Thai Minh Nhat stood up and presented methodically and logically, based on all documents that had been carefully prepared over the past many months. He showed the cooperation agreement with Chu Rinh village, a positive appraisal report from the Department of Agriculture, and even video recordings of the community's solidarity during the Sao Mai emergency night.

"My client does not deny past shortcomings in terms of administrative procedures," lawyer Nhat said, his voice calm but convincing. "But we want to emphasize that these are historical shortcomings, arising from the specific social context of thirty years ago, when the legal system on land and property of ethnic minorities still had many limitations. More importantly, my client proactively identified, acknowledged, and corrected those shortcomings in a substantial way, which was confirmed and supported by the relevant community."

He invited Ama Not to speak, and the village elder, dressed in formal traditional clothing, stepped up with a majestic appearance, speaking in both M'nong and Vietnamese, clearly confirming the consensus and satisfaction of the Chu Rinh trading community with the new cooperation agreement, and at the same time completely refuting the accusation of "unresolved dispute" made by Hoang Kim.

"We, the insiders, confirm that there is no existing dispute between Chu Rinh village and the camp," the old man said, his voice clear. "If someone outside arbitrarily creates a bogus dispute in our name, it is an act that does not respect our community's right to self-determination."

That sharp statement made the atmosphere in the hall change markedly, Hoang Kim's team of lawyers began to look confused. Lawyer Nhat, seizing the opportunity, continued to present the appraisal report from the Department of Agriculture, which clearly affirmed that the camp's operating model fully complies with current legal regulations and is in the process of being considered for recognition as a provincial model conservation model.

When it was his turn to argue, Hoang Kim's lawyer seemed to have prepared another tactic, turning to question the camp's "financial transparency", alluding to baseless accusations that had previously appeared on social networks.

"We have evidence that shows that the camp's charitable donations are not used transparently and show signs of misappropriation for personal purposes," this lawyer said, presenting a set of documents.

This is the time when Japanese lawyers have prepared a response plan. He calmly stood up and asked to directly examine the source of the "evidence" that Hoang Kim's side had just given. After a few minutes of consideration, he pointed out that this document actually originated from fake videos that have been confirmed by the online community and local authorities to be staged and have no legal value.

"We ask the council to note that using information that has been confirmed to be fake as evidence before an official mediation session is an extremely worrying practice," said lawyer Nhat, his voice now taking on a much sterner tone.

The atmosphere in the hall became extremely tense. Truong Hoang Long, his face showing confusion for the first time during the session, hastily signaled his team of lawyers to pause for a private consultation.

During the break, the chairman of the conciliation council, a middle-aged man with a stern demeanor, took the opportunity to discuss privately with Ha Lam and the Japanese lawyer. "I have to say frankly, the evidence you presented today is very convincing," he said, his voice cautious but unable to hide his positive assessment. "Especially direct confirmation from representatives of the ethnic minority community involved, that is a key factor in cases like this."

Ha Lam nodded in thanks, but in his heart he still did not dare to let his guard down, knowing that Hoang Kim's side with abundant resources certainly would not give up easily after just one counterattack. She glanced across the hall, where Truong Hoang Long was whispering urgently to the team of lawyers, his face flashing with something more like a recalculation of strategy than a surrender.

After nearly half an hour of consultation, the session resumed. This time, it was Truong Hoang Long who stood up to speak, instead of being represented by a lawyer. His voice tried to maintain his familiar calmness even though he could not hide his newfound reserve.

"Hoang Kim Group has always respected the rights of local communities and conservation values," he said, "and in light of the new evidence presented today, we are willing to review the scope and nature of the Dai Ngan Safari project, ensuring there are no conflicts with the existing conservation area."

It was a significant concession from the initial tough stance, but still not a complete retreat. The Japanese lawyer, keenly aware of this gap, continued to question. "Mr. Long, can you explain more clearly what exactly 'scope review' means? Our client needs a clear commitment, not a vague promise that can change at any time."

Truong Hoang Long was silent for a moment, his eyes scanning the crowd watching the session — not only the mediation council, but also the presence of several licensed reporters in attendance, as well as representatives of conservation organizations who had previously sent letters of support to the camp. Perhaps, realizing that all eyes were on him, he understood that this was no longer a private negotiation, but a trial before public opinion.

"We will officially remove all land adjacent to the reserve from the project planning scope," he said, his voice somewhat reluctant but decisive. "And we will also withdraw the lawsuit related to the legality of the disputed land, on condition that the camp confirms that there are no further complaints about our previous activities during the survey."

Ha Lam turned to look at his father and lawyer Nhat. Both nodded slightly, signaling that this was an acceptable result, although not an absolute victory. She stood up, her voice echoing throughout the hall.

"We agree with this proposal, with the condition that the entire agreement must be officially documented, supervised by the conciliation council, and transparent to the public, to ensure that there are no ambiguities that may recur in the future."

The chairman of the council nodded in agreement, noted the preliminary agreement between the two sides, and scheduled a follow-up meeting within a week to complete the official document. When the meeting ended, Ha Lam walked out of the hall amid congratulations and sincere handshakes from the Japanese lawyer, from Ama Not, and from the people of Chu Rinh village who had been watching all morning. The feeling of relief mixed with caution still lingered in her heart, knowing that this was an important turning point, but the road to completing everything was still ahead. Tuan Khoi, waiting outside the hall because he was not allowed inside due to personal identity regulations, ran to hug her as soon as he saw a relieved smile appear on her face. He did not need to wait for her to say another word to understand that, after many months of hardship, the door of hope had finally opened.