Updated: Message from blogger Nguyen Hoang Vi:
Tomorrow, Thi’s family, my sisters and I, and a number of friends will go to Tan Son Nhat Airport to inquire about the arrest of Thi. Friends in Saigon who want to join us, please contact me at 0905 37 50 17.
Tomorrow, Thi’s family, my sisters and I, and a number of friends will go to Tan Son Nhat Airport to inquire about the arrest of Thi. Friends in Saigon who want to join us, please contact me at 0905 37 50 17.
CTV Danlambao - Translated by Như Ngọc - On early morning Oct. 05, 2013, security agents at Tan Son Nhat Airport arrested blogger Chau Van Thi upon his return to Vietnam. Thi, a young blogger in Saigon, had joined other bloggers of the Network of Vietnamese Bloggers to submit the Statement 258 to the E.U. delegation on Sept. 10, 2013.
At the airport, his girlfriend Nguyen Thao Chi said that at 12:10 a.m. Thi sent her a text message informing his flight had landed at Tan Son Nhat Airport; 30 minutes later Thi called her to inform his detention.
By phone, Thi said security agents detain him to address “immigration” issues. He also said: “Maybe they will detain me a few days, or arrest me.”
Moment later, his girlfriend had made several calls to his number but she could only hear the ringtone. Possibly, Thi has been controlled by the police.
Thi, a young activist in Saigon, had participated in patriotic activities such as protesting against Chinese aggression, supporting Phuong Uyen and Nguyen Kha at their trials. He has been abducted and illegally detained by police several times.
For participating in those activities, Thi lost his job due to pressure from security office and his coffee shop was forced to shut down by local authorities. Currently, Thi is caring for his frail mother who became paralyzed by a stroke.
Châu Văn Thi, second from right, and bloggers from
the Network of Vietnamese Bloggers met the E.U. delegation
