Public Securities cadres violated Tran Thi Nga’s Human Rights of Travel

trần thị nga

However, Mr. Nguyen Duc Huu, on behalf of the Ha Nam Public Securities, loudly announced to the crowd in the passport office that I was banned because I was a member of the Viet Tan Party and participating in many activities by that organization. I asked Mr. Huu to provide evidence of such membership and list which activities of mine that were considered wrongful. He could not provide neither.

Trần Thị Nga | 13-07-2015

I am Tran Thi Nga, born 1977, living at Group 8, Hai Ba Trung District, Phu Ly City, Ha Nam Province.

On June 23, 2015, I came to the Ha Nam Province Public Securities Office of Entry-Exit Management to renew my passport. A cadre, named Nguyen Thi Hanh, received my file with a receipt numbered 4441BN-PA72.

At 9:04 AM June 30, 2015, a female Public Securities cadre, named Hanh, called me over the phone to inform me that my file was rejected because the Ministry of Public Securities still forbade me to travel abroad.

On July, 2, 2015, I came to the Ha Nam Province Public Securities Office of Entry-Exit Management to ask for the official reasons for banning me from traveling abroad and what crime had I committed. Two cadres, representing the Ha Nam Public Securities to talk to me, were Nguyen Thi Hanh and Nguyen Duc Huu (Badge ID 345-031). They kept digressing from my request. Instead of giving me the official document that banned my traveling, they just wrote up a report that they had informed me of the banning period from Dec 31, 2012 to Dec 31, 2015 without reasons.

However, Mr. Nguyen Duc Huu, on behalf of the Ha Nam Public Securities, loudly announced to the crowd in the passport office that I was banned because I was a member of the Viet Tan Party and participating in many activities by that organization. I asked Mr. Huu to provide evidence of such membership and list which activities of mine that were considered wrongful. He could not provide neither.

Throughout the session, I insisted on Mr. Huu to provide me with a copy of the decision to ban me from traveling. After dodging my request several times, he resorted to insulting me with accusations of sexual immorality in front of many people waiting in the passport office.

After several hours of stonewalling at Ha Nam Province Public Securities office, they mustered about 20 cadres and gangsters to threaten me right there. Among them were Thang – from the Religion Securities department of Ha Nam, Cong – from the Political Securities department of Ha Nam, and others who had kidnapped, beaten, and robbed me and my children many times.

Facing such a belligerent group, other passport applicants stepped in and helped me get out of there safely.

I am not the only one that the Public Securities have arbitrarily banned from traveling, beaten, or even imprisoned on ambiguous and baseless accusations of being Viet Tan associates. Such accusations have been used more and more as cover-up for all kinds of crimes committed by the Public Securities and other Communist cadres against the people of Vietnam. To this day, they could not provided any proofs of wrongdoings by Viet Tan members. At the same time, Viet Tan is recognized by and working with many governments of free countries and international NGOs on human rights issues in Vietnam.

As a law-biding citizen, I will continue to fight for my right to travel. I am a 38 year old person – not a 3 year old kid – and am too old to be afraid of the intimidating antics of the Vietnamese Communist Public Securities.

Tran Thi Nga