Reportedly, her first hunger strike lasted from June 16-19, and her second hunger strike starts today, 6/20/2013. Before starting the second hunger strike, Pham Thanh Nghien had experienced a severe stomach upset due to food poisoning.
As a former prisoner of conscience, she had also been detained at the No. 5 prison in Thanh Hoa province, where Dr. Vu is being jailed. Therefore, Pham Thanh Nghien knows very well what Dr. Vu is facing with in such a harsh, notorious prison of the communist regime. Her hunger strike is to confirm the message: No one has to travel alone in the journey seeking for Freedom and Justice even though he or she is in the dark valley of prison.
Participating in a prolonged hunger strike while still carrying many illnesses has degraded her health visibly. Pham Thanh Nghien refused to discuss her health issue for fearing it may cause troubles and worries to her family members. However, Dân Làm Báo has learned she currently weighs only 37 kg or 81 lbs.
Recently, the Vietnamese communist regime has fully utilized the power of its state-controlled media outlets to forecast video clips, pictures and other information to denigrate the ongoing hunger strike of Dr. Cu Huy Ha Vu. In this regard, Pham Thanh Nghien said she was not surprised with the nature of deceiving of the state-controlled media. While in No. 5 prison - Thanh Hoa, she had seen reporters from state-controlled media brought their cameras to the camp to stage propaganda with captured images of a camp warden fed a sick prisoner with rice congee. In fact, that prisoner was unexpectedly ordered to play the role of a sick inmate.
This is not the first time Pham Thanh Nghien participates in a hunger strike. Previously, she had been on hunger strike many times while detained in No. 5 prison to protest against the communist prison system.
It is expected that her second hunger strike in solidarity with Dr. Vu will end on 06/23/2013. Let's hope that nothing wrong will happen to her.
