Arrested for attending training

Danlambao - As previously reported, in two consecutive nights of Oct. 4 and 5, airport security at Tan Son Nhat had arbitrarily detained and conducted interrogation a number of young people, including bloggers Chau Van Thi, Bui Tuan Lam and Tran Hoai Bao. Also, on the night of Oct. 5, security at Noi Bai Airport also detained two other youths, Do Van Thuong and Nguyen Viet Hung.

The young men have been detained at the airports upon returning from Manila, the Philippines. According to blogger Nguyen Hoang Vi, a relative of Chau Van Thi, Thi and his friends just attended a two-week training course on the subject "Civil Society in the Philippines." The course was organized by Asian Bridge Philippines, a Quezon City based NGO.

Chau Van Thi, Bui Tuan Lam and Tran Hoai Bao are members of the No-U soccer team in Saigon. Nguyen Viet Hung plays for No-U team in Hanoi. These young people have actively participated in various activities advocating for human rights in Vietnam. For example, the distribution of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights at the Human Rights picnic on May 5, 2013. Thi, Lam and Hung also signed the Statement 258 of the Network of Vietnamese Bloggers, which calls for the removal of Article 258 of the Penal Code.

A group of bloggers, the friends of Bao, Lam and Thi, came to Tan Son Nhat Airport the second time holding banners and conducting a sit in strike to demand the release of their friends and the end of arbitrary detention. Currently, nobody can contact Hung and Thuong.

Trung, Tran Hoai Bao's younger brother, shared on Facebook the picture of Bao and Bui Tuan Lam taken before boarding a returning flight, in which Bao and Lam hold a “Free us now” sign. Trung wrote, "Knowing attendees of the training course on civil society in the Philippines have been detained upon their returning to Vietnam, but Bao determined to return. He believes that for the sake of the rule of law in a country, people have to believe in justice. He accepts all the risks that might happen to him."

In the last call to relatives prior to his detention, Chau Van Thi said that security officials would work with him on the "immigration problem.” However, the detention of the youths after attending training on civil society subject implies the study is the reason of their arrest; especially, when civil society is a subject that the authorities in Vietnam do not promote.

Asian Bridge wrote in the invitation that they ‘are very pleased that the Vietnamese guests can participate in the two-week course and visit them in the Philippines.’ The guests were said to have visited a number of NGOs and heard presentations from renowned speakers, who actively advocate for the vulnerable and voiceless people. Reportedly, among the speakers were representatives of international organizations such as the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), the Asian Development Bank (ADB), a number of local NGOs such as Humanitarian Legal Assistance Foundation (HLAF), the Union of Farmers and Fishermen Association Philippines (PAKISAMA), and a number of senators and lawyers in the Philippines.

The Philippines is considered the most democratic country in Southeast Asia where civil society thrives. Unfortunately, what makes the Philippines proud is what authorities in Vietnam consider a threat to their rule.

Updates at 1 p.m. Sunday:

- Blogger Chau Van Thi was released.

- Lam, Hung, Thuong and others are still being held.

- The bloggers are still at the airport fighting for friends.

Reportedly, at 2:15 p.m., secret security agents and airport security attempted to disperse the bloggers and confiscated their banners.

Asian Bridge is said to comment on the matter soon.