Thugs Attack Activists while Police Conduct Administrative Checking, Slashing Host’s Head

Injured Pham The Luc after being attacked in midnight of December 17, 2018

Defend the Defenders, December 18, 2018

Thugs attacked activists Pham The Luc and Phan Van Bach while police from Lam Dong province were conducting administrative checking in the former’s house in mid-night of December 17, slashing the house owner on his head.

Mr. Bach, a blogger from Hanoi who is visiting his friend Luc and witnessed the assault, said a group of three police officers knocked the door of Mr. Luc’s house at 10 PM of Monday to request for administrative checking.

While police were working with the house owner about the guest, several unidentified men entered the house, turned off all lamps and attacked the house owner and his guest. Luc tried to prevent the attackers to protect his guest so he was beaten by them. They likely used a knife to assault him, slashing on his head.

Police officers, led by lieutenant Le Viet Dung, did nothing to prevent the assault. When Luc screamed for help, police and the attackers run out of his house.

Despite blooding on his head, Luc remained in his house and got emergency from Bach because they afraid that they would be beaten if they go out.

Bach believes that he was the main target of the assault, however, he escaped of being beaten. In the morning of next day, he left Luc’s house by crossing a forest for several kilometers. Plainclothes agents were reportedly waiting for him on the main roads.

Both Bach and Luc are activists and dissident bloggers posting numerous live streams and articles on their Facebook accounts to criticize the government policies and failure to deal with the country’s serious issues, including systemic corruption and widespread environmental pollution.

The attack against Mr. Luc is one of series of assaults against activists in recent weeks. In the most recent case, on December 9, thugs in Dong Nai used stones and bricks to attack a car in which travelled four activist Tran Ngoc Anh, Huynh Tan Tuyen, Nguyen Thanh Hai and Vo Van Trai, causing severe injuries to Mr. Trai and Ms. Anh. The activists planned to go to visit families of jailed mid-June protestors in Dong Nai, but they were forced to go back to their province of Ba Ria-Vung Tau to avoid being killed by the aggressive perpetrators.

Inorder to avoid being criticized internationally, Vietnam’s authorities have been using thugs and plainclothes agents to attack activists. They caused severe injuries to many of their victims including Nguyen Trung Ton, Nguyen Trung Truc, and Tran Thi Nga who were later sentenced to lengthy imprisonment for their human rights and democracy advocacy.