Activists commemorate Gac Ma fallen soldiers before being detained by security forces in Vung Tau on March 10
By Defend the Defenders, March 10, 2017
On March 10, security forces in Vietnam’s southern province of Ba Ria-Vung Tau violently arrested three activists, namely Suong Quynh, Vinh Le and Tam Le, holding them for hours before releasing them.
Their brutal detention occurred after the three activists together with patriotic intellectuals and rights advocates, members of the Ho Chi Minh city-based club of Le Hieu Dang, held a demonstration at a local beach to commemorate the fallen soldiers who were killed in Gac Ma (Johnson South Reef) in the Truong Sa (Spratlys) by the People’s Liberation Army of China in 1988 when the northern neighbor held a military operation to invade the Vietnamese islands.
Ms. Suong Quynh, a Saigon-based activist, said police confiscated her cell phone and destroyed it. They freed her at a location nine kilometers away from the initial place. Police treated the activists like criminals, Suong Quynh noted.
Meanwhile, blogger Le Cong Vinh said he was interrogated and beaten by police before being released in the afternoon.
Police also collected wreaths of flowers which attendees floated in the water at a beach.
Claiming both the Hoang Sa (Paracels) and Truong Sa in the East Sea (South China Sea) and verbally opposing China’s illegal occupation of its islands on the two archipelagos, Vietnam’s Communist government has nevertheless suppressed anti-China activists who spoke out against China’s violations of the country’s sovereignty.
On January 19 and February 17 this year, Vietnamese security forces violently dispersed peaceful gatherings of activists which aimed to pay tribute to fallen soldiers and condemn China’s military invasion of the Hoang Sa in 1974 and of the six northernmost provinces in 1979, respectively.
In the past few years, hundreds of anti-China activists have been detained and some of them sentenced to years in prisons on trumped-up criminal charges.
In addition to the arrests and detentions, Vietnam has persecuted anti-China activists, deploying thugs to attack them or causing trouble for their families. Due to the government-backed assaults, many anti-China activists, including bloggers La Viet Dung and Nguyen Chi Tuyen in Hanoi, as well as Tran Bang in Saigon, sustained severe injuries.
Vietnam’s security forces have been halting the sports activities of the No-U football teams, which consist of activists who are opposing the Chinese U-shaped line claim in the East Sea. Security forces have forced owners of sports facilities not to allow the teams to hire fields to play and sent thugs to attack players and supporters.
As on these two occasions, namely the 43rd anniversary of the loss of Hoang Sa to China and the 38th anniversary of the Chinese military attack against the six northernmost provinces, Vietnam is expected to take action to prevent local activists from gathering on March 14 to mark the 29th year of the loss of Gac Ma to China. Plainclothes agents are expected to be sent to the private residences of activists to place them under de facto house arrest, while security forces and militia are ready to detain those who manage to come to the scheduled gathering places.
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March 10, 2017
Vietnam Activists Detained after Commemorating Fallen Soldiers in Gac Ma
by Nhan Quyen • Le Cong Vinh (Vung Tau), Suong Quynh
Activists commemorate Gac Ma fallen soldiers before being detained by security forces in Vung Tau on March 10
By Defend the Defenders, March 10, 2017
On March 10, security forces in Vietnam’s southern province of Ba Ria-Vung Tau violently arrested three activists, namely Suong Quynh, Vinh Le and Tam Le, holding them for hours before releasing them.
Their brutal detention occurred after the three activists together with patriotic intellectuals and rights advocates, members of the Ho Chi Minh city-based club of Le Hieu Dang, held a demonstration at a local beach to commemorate the fallen soldiers who were killed in Gac Ma (Johnson South Reef) in the Truong Sa (Spratlys) by the People’s Liberation Army of China in 1988 when the northern neighbor held a military operation to invade the Vietnamese islands.
Ms. Suong Quynh, a Saigon-based activist, said police confiscated her cell phone and destroyed it. They freed her at a location nine kilometers away from the initial place. Police treated the activists like criminals, Suong Quynh noted.
Meanwhile, blogger Le Cong Vinh said he was interrogated and beaten by police before being released in the afternoon.
Police also collected wreaths of flowers which attendees floated in the water at a beach.
Claiming both the Hoang Sa (Paracels) and Truong Sa in the East Sea (South China Sea) and verbally opposing China’s illegal occupation of its islands on the two archipelagos, Vietnam’s Communist government has nevertheless suppressed anti-China activists who spoke out against China’s violations of the country’s sovereignty.
On January 19 and February 17 this year, Vietnamese security forces violently dispersed peaceful gatherings of activists which aimed to pay tribute to fallen soldiers and condemn China’s military invasion of the Hoang Sa in 1974 and of the six northernmost provinces in 1979, respectively.
In the past few years, hundreds of anti-China activists have been detained and some of them sentenced to years in prisons on trumped-up criminal charges.
In addition to the arrests and detentions, Vietnam has persecuted anti-China activists, deploying thugs to attack them or causing trouble for their families. Due to the government-backed assaults, many anti-China activists, including bloggers La Viet Dung and Nguyen Chi Tuyen in Hanoi, as well as Tran Bang in Saigon, sustained severe injuries.
Vietnam’s security forces have been halting the sports activities of the No-U football teams, which consist of activists who are opposing the Chinese U-shaped line claim in the East Sea. Security forces have forced owners of sports facilities not to allow the teams to hire fields to play and sent thugs to attack players and supporters.
As on these two occasions, namely the 43rd anniversary of the loss of Hoang Sa to China and the 38th anniversary of the Chinese military attack against the six northernmost provinces, Vietnam is expected to take action to prevent local activists from gathering on March 14 to mark the 29th year of the loss of Gac Ma to China. Plainclothes agents are expected to be sent to the private residences of activists to place them under de facto house arrest, while security forces and militia are ready to detain those who manage to come to the scheduled gathering places.