Vietnamese Security Forces Continue Detaining, Beating Activists Prior to Parliament’s Election, Visit of President Obama

Police and militia in Vietnam

by Vu Quoc Ngu, May 22, 2016

Vietnamese security forces continue to apply violent measures against local political dissidents, human rights defenders and social activists, detaining and severely beating many of them and putting others under house arrest during the week, human rights defenders have reported.

Police have persecuted, intimidated and harassed dozens of activists during the week as they have tightened security prior to the general election for the country’s legislative body National Assembly and People’s Councils in provincial, district and communal levels, and the upcoming visit of President Barack Obama to the communist nation.

On May 19, Tran Hoang Han, young activist in Saigon was beaten by thugs when he was riding his motorbike. On the same day, two young activists Nguyen Huu Tinh and Nguyen Phuong from the southern city of Vung Tau were stopped by traffic policemen. Later, the duo was severely beaten by plainclothes agents before taking to a police station for questioning.

A group of police officers attacked the private residence of former prisoner of conscience Tran Ngoc Anh in Vung Tau. One policeman threatened to kill Mrs. Loan, Anh’s daughter while another police officer named Quang beat Loan when she was with her baby. Due to the attack, Mrs. Loan received severe injuries in her breast and was taken to a local hospital for medical treatment.

Police from the central province of Thanh Hoa arrested local activist Nguyen Van Trang (facebook account Trang Nguyen) while security forces in Ho Chi Minh City detained former political prisoner Nguyen Viet Dung, the leader and founder of the unsanctioned Republican Party of Vietnam on mid-night of May 20 when he was with other activists in HCMC. Security officers from the Ministry of Public Security interrogated until the afternoon of May 22. On the evening of Sunday, Dung was brought to the Tan Son Nhat International Airport and forced to take a flight to his province of Nghe An.

Local bloggers also reported that Vietnamese American Nancy Nguyen, who came to visit HCMC few days ago, was missing after meeting with some local activists. Activists suggested that she was kidnapped by the local security forces.

Many activists, including Tran Bang, Huynh Cong Thuan, labor activist Do Thi Minh Hanh and Dr. Nguyen Dan Que, have been blocked from going out of their private residences during the week. Police officers threw stones at Mr. Bang’s relatives when they tried to film security officers who stationed near his private house.

Former political prisoner Truong Minh Duc, who was attacked by police officers many times in the past, was detained by HCMC police when he stayed in a local hotel. Police officers violently took him to an election poll and later to his home against his will.

Thugs also threw dirty mess consisting Mam Tom (a substance made from decaying shrimp) to the house of blogger Vu Huy Hoang and broke window glass of the house with stones.

On Sunday 15, authorities in HCMC detained hundreds of environmental activists and held them in a local rehabilitation which is for holding sex workers and drug addicted people. Police used electrical batons to interrogate the detainees before releasing them one by one by Thursday.

Meanwhile, on May 22, Vietnam held the general election for the parliament and People’s Councils in three levels. The poll is formal as the ruling communist party already appointed key posts of the country, including the top legislator, the president and the prime minister, and senior posts in the localities.

In late night of the same day, U.S. President Barack Obama arrived in Hanoi to start his three-day visit to Vietnam. He has a plan to meet with representatives of independent civil rights organizations in the morning of May 24. However, he is unlikely to meet local activists as most of them have been under house arrest in recent days.