Vietnam Gov’t Supporters Attack Wife of Well-known Blogger in Hanoi-based Kindergarten

 Tran Nhat Quang (white shirt) and other pro-government activists in Hanoi

Tran Nhat Quang (white shirt) and other pro-government activists in Hanoi

Dozens of pro-communism supporters gathered in the gate of the kindergarten where the two-year baby of the couple is sent, and when Mrs. Vuong came, they brutally beat her and insulted the young mother under witness of many babies.

By Vu Quoc Ngu, October 23, 2015

A group of Vietnamese pro-government supporters on Friday afternoon assaulted Mrs. Le Bich Vuong, the wife of Hanoi-based blogger and photographer Nguyen Lan Thang afternoon of Friday when the couple were in a local kindergarten to pick up their baby.

Dozens of communist party supporters gathered at the gate of the kindergarten where the two-year baby of the couple is sent.When Mrs. Vuong came out, they brutally beat her and insulted the young mother in front of many babies.

They also disseminated leaflets which contain untrue information about blogger Thang and other pro-democracy activists, and shouted loudly before leaving the scene.

Two days ago, in late evening of October 21, the same group went to the private house of Mr. Thang in Dong Da district to threat his family. They brutally attacked Nguyen The Trung, a democracy advocate who came to support Thang’s family, causing severe injuries.

Trung said a number of the thugs attacked him while others filmed the assault with high-quality cameras. Do Anh Minh, who is the secretary of the Ho Chi Minh Youth Communist Union in Dien Bien Phu ward, Ba Dinh district was the most active attacker, the victim claimed.

Some observers said security agents were among the pro-government group.

Later, the government supporters, led by Minh and army veteran Tran Nhat Quang, posted the video in which they insulted and beat Trung, on the Internet.

Thang and Trung reported the incidents to the local police which are unlikely to carry out investigation on the case.

The incident occurred few days after Quang called on other pro-government forces to beat blogger Thang for “insulting” Ho Chi Minh, the communist leader and founder of communist Vietnam.

Outspoken blogger Thang said he has not been distorting facts about Uncle Ho but has been trying to provide unpublicized information about the communist leader, who is responsible for the deaths of millions of Vietnamese soldiers and civilians during the Vietnam War which ended in 1975 with the invasion of the southern region by the communist side.

Thang and Trung are among numerous Hanoi-based activists who have participated in a number of demonstrations in the capital city to protest China’s violations of the country’s sovereignty in the East Sea. They have posted many articles on their Facebook pages to demand for human rights as well as support victims of miscarriage of justice nationwide.

On the other side, Quang and Minh are well-known communist party supporters in Hanoi. They have organized a number of attacks against local human rights defenders and political dissidents.

The duo was the key figures in anti-protest movement in Hanoi. They led others in disturbing patriotic demonstrations in which people commemorated the fallen soldiers in the war against the Chinese invasions in the six northernmost provinces in 1979 and Truong Sa (Spratlys) in 1988.

Quang and Minh are among online activists who are posting articles to support the ruling communist party’s policies and spread false information about local political dissidents and human rights advocates.

The duo and their comrades are receiving supports from the communist government and authorities in the capital city to carry out assignments, some sources alleged.

Recently, Minh was honored by Hanoi’s authorities for his pro-government activities.

Ho Dac Loi, the communist propaganda chief in Hanoi has admitted that the local authorities are financing around 80,000 pro-government activists who are assigned to post online articles to propagandize communism and defame pro-democracy fighters.

Meanwhile, security forces in the central province of Nghe An continue to harass former political prisoner Tran Duc Thach. Poet and writer Thach said in recent days, police have thrown bricks and stones at his private house in Dien Chau district, threatening him and his wife and causing serious damage to his house’s roof. One week earlier, on October 15, plainclothes security agents barbarically beat him, broke his motorbike and robbed his bag with two smart phones inside when he traveled near his village.

The communists have ruled Vietnam for decades and vowed to keep the country under a one-party regime. Their government has vowed to prohibit the forming of any opposition party.

Along with arresting and putting in prison a number of political dissidents and human rights advocates, Vietnam’s government has deployed government supporters, plainclothes agents and criminals to assault peaceful human rights defenders and pro-democracy activists.

The Vietnamese security forces have tightened political control several months ahead of the ruling communist party’s National Congress.