Hanoi - Police in Vietnam have arrested a kindergarten teacher for taping the mouth of an 18-month-old girl to stop her from crying, causing her to fall into a coma, a policeman said Friday. Le Thi Le Vy, 30, was arrested Thursday on charges of "unintentionally inflicting injury to the health of other persons due to breach of professional regulations," according to Vo Hoang Nghia, chief of police of Phu Nhuan district in Ho Chi Minh City.
Vy, a teacher at Thien Tho Kindergarten in Ho Chi Minh City, allegedly applied a 15-centimetre long piece of duct tape to the mouth of toddler Do Ngoc Bao on November 11 because the child was crying too much.
Tram stopped breathing and passed out several minutes later, before being rushed to the hospital.
"The child is still in very bad condition and there is no sign that she will recover," said Tang Tri Thuong, director of the Ho Chi Minh City Pediatrics Hospital No 1. "She may die anytime now, as her brain has ceased functioning and her body temperature has dropped dramatically."
"We would charge the teacher with accidentally causing human death if the child passes away," said chief of police Nghia.
According to Vietnam's Penal Code, unintentionally inflicting injuries to other person is subject to a prison term of up to three years, while accidentally causing human death carries a sentence of up to six years in prison.
