Vietnam Gov’t Supporters Brutally Assault Pro-democracy Advocate, Threatening Family of Hanoi-based Well-known Blogger

Young communist Do Minh Anh tries to stop patriotic gathering in Hanoi's center in Spring 2015

Young communist Do Minh Anh tries to disturb patriotic gathering in Hanoi’s center in Spring 2015

Trung said a number of the thugs attacked him while other’s filmed the assault with high-quality cameras. Minh, who is the secretary of the Ho Chi Minh Youth Communist Union in Dien Bien Phu ward, Ba Dinh district was the most active in beating Trung, the victim claimed.

By Vu Quoc Ngu, October 22, 2015

A group of about thirty Vietnamese pro-government activists in Hanoi on October 21 brutally attacked a local pro-democracy activist and threatened the family of a well-known blogger.

The group, led by army veteran Tran Nhat Quang and young communist Do Anh Minh gathered in the front of the private house of blogger Nguyen Lan Thang at about 6.30 PM of Wednesday, insulting his family and trying to break the door.

When blogger Nguyen The Trung, an another pro-democracy advocate came to support Mr. Thang’s family, the pro-government activists stumped on him and beat him, causing a number of injuries on his body.

Trung said a number of the thugs attacked him while other’s filmed the assault with high-quality cameras. Minh, who is the secretary of the Ho Chi Minh Youth Communist Union in Dien Bien Phu ward, Ba Dinh district was the most active attackers, the victim claimed.

After knocking down Trung on the ground and shouting on the street, the pro-communism activists left the scene. They also threatened to come back for other attacks.

The incident occurred few days after Quang called on other pro-government forces to beat blogger Thang for “insulting” Ho Chi Minh, the communist leader and founder of the communist Vietnam.

Outspoken blogger Thang said he has not been distorting Uncle Ho but trying to unveil true information about the communist leader, who is responsible for the deaths of millions of Vietnamese soldiers and civilians during the Vietnam War which ended in 1975 with the invasion of the southern region by the communist side.

Quang and Minh are well-known pro-communism activists in Hanoi. They have organized a number of attacks against local human rights defenders and political dissidents.

The duo was the key figures in anti-protest movement in Hanoi. They led others in halting patriotic demonstrations in which people commemorated the fallen soldiers in the war against the Chinese invasions in the six northernmost provinces in 1979 and Truong Sa (Spratlys) in 1988.

Quang and Minh are among online activists who are posting articles to protect the ruling communist party’s policies and spread wrong information against local political dissidents and human rights advocates.

Quang, Minh and their comrades are receiving supports from the communist government and authorities in the capital city.

Recently, Hanoi’s authorities honored Minh for his pro-government activities.

Ho Dac Loi, the  communist propaganda chief in Hanoi has admitted that authorities in Hanoi are financing around 80,000 pro-government activists who are assigned to post online articles to propagandizing communism and distorting pro-democracy fighters.

Meanwhile, security forces in the central province of Nghe An continue to harass former political prisoner Tran Duc Thach. Poet and writer Thach said in recent days, police have thrown bricks and stones at his private house in Dien Chau district. On October 15, plainclothes security agents beat him, broke his motorbike and robbed his bag with two smart phones inside when he traveled near his village.

The communists have ruled Vietnam for decades and vowed to keep the country under a one-party regime. The communist government has strived not to allow forming of opposition party.

Along with arresting and putting in prison a number of political dissidents and human rights advocates, Vietnam has deployed pro-communism activists, plainclothes agents and criminals to assault peaceful human rights defenders and pro-democracy activists.

The Vietnamese security forces have tightened political control several months ahead of the ruling communist party’s National Congress.