Tuấn Khanh/Translate by Jasmine Tran (Danlambao) - Upon suspicion that Nguyen Hoang Phuong Phuong (16 years old) had stolen a bicycle, police of Tan Thanh Commune, Go Cong Dong District, Tien Giang Province broke into Phuong’s school as he was studying in class. Leading him to the police station, they proceeded to torture him, forcing him to confess - to plead guilty of a theft he did not commit.
The students of Nguyen Van Linh High School in Cau Muong Village of Tan Thanh Commune were all terrified and shocked as they all knew Phuong to be a very decent student. They were in disbelief as to how could he be mistaken for a thief, and thus be escorted out by the police during school hours, in front of everyone there.
Phương is the youngest son of the late song writer Hoang Phuong. As the population of the close-knit neighbourhood all know each other, in facing this hard situation Phuong has remained self-respecting and careful to protect his family name.
Song writer Hoang Phuong had many popular songs such as ‘The Frangipani in her Garden’, ‘The Go Cong Mother’. He died in 2002 and left his wife and two young children in poverty.
After Phuong was led to the police station, he was in tears and bore the thrashing well. Despite being beaten, he was determined not to be pressured into admitting to a crime he did not commit.
The policeman, named Hoang, repeatedly hit and slapped Phuong. He then continued to deploy a professional beating technique which causes internal damage, but leaves only limited external traces on the body. This technique comprises hitting with a particularly densely rolled newspaper to craft the weapon. However, Hoang was not successful in forcing Phuong to “confess”.
The most deplorable fact was that during the time Phuong had been in custody, subject to torture from noonto night, the police as well as the school authorities did not inform Phuong’s family to anything at all. This was the case until nightfall, when Van, Phuong’s mother, came home from work. Only then would she learn, too late, that Phuong’s body had been brutally beaten.
For a long-time such heart breaking stories have occurred in many places around this country. There are cases of children, who were unable to bear such physical and mental harm had committed suicide.
Even in places only 2 hours drive from Saigon, the police are seen committing such abuse against the people. It makes one wonder if in places even further away, how much more worthless people’s lives are in police hands.
I happen to remember an acquaintance, a high ranking officer working in an area related to women and children. A few years ago, with the abuse of women and children spreading, I suggested him to organize an investigative group, aiming to rescue the child victims of abuse. I even offered to pay all operating expenses and would provide all the social workers - I only asked him to support me in giving the group a legal status. That high ranking officer showed a sympathetic face for the stories he heard, but he advised against it – to put it off - and as of now, 5 years have passed, without any reply.
Such police, officials, … with the way we brutally treat Vietnamese children and the Vietnamese people, what kind of future is waiting for our nation?
