Still many questions remain about what Vietnamese are calling the “Dong Tam massacre”, but one thing is clear: the Vietnamese government has attacked its own citizens and is now acting to suppress the truth.
On January 9th, the Vietnamese government raided the northern village of Dong Tam at four in the morning, killing the village leader Le Dinh Kinh. Other villagers were injured with tear gas and rubber bullets, and more than 30 were arrested. According to state media, three police officers were also killed. The entire conflict revolves around a long-standing land dispute.
The government has completely locked down the Dong Tam area and will not allow in any independent journalists to find out what happened.
As details and witness statements emerge on Facebook about what actually occurred, the Vietnamese government is now attacking the truth. It is actively trying to silence activists, citizen-journalists, and the villagers themselves who are working to get the facts out.
The government has arrested people in Can Tho, Quang Ngai, and Dak Nong for posting online about the Dong Tam massacre, and prominent land activists Trinh Ba Tu and Trinh Ba Phuong, who are in direct contact with the Dong Tam villagers, are currently at high risk of arrest.
Facebook itself is now complicit in the oppression. The government has succeeded in pressuring the company to remove videos and posts regarding the Dong Tam massacre, and Vietnam’s own online army has succeeded in bringing down activists’ profiles through coordinated attack.
Video and photo evidence released just today provides further damning evidence of citizen mistreatment at the hands of the authorities.
State media has released photos of some of the villagers—covered in scrapes and bruises—and announced criminal proceeding again 22 individuals, including two of Kinh’s sons Cong and Chuc, for murder and obstruction of officials.
All are currently being held behind bars, in pre-trial detention, with no access to lawyers as prescribed by law. Those charged with murder face severe punishment, including the death penalty.
Another video released by netizens showed Kinh’s wife Du Thi Thanh speaking about how she was tortured into giving a false statement.
In light of today’s revelations, the Dong Tam event has escalated to a degree that requires greater action. In order to ascertain facts, publicize information, and seek justice for all parties involved, we are establishing the Dong Tam Task Force.
We aim to:
1. Act as a point of contact for stakeholders involved: this includes international NGOs, media outlets, activists in- and outside Vietnam, and most importantly, the Dong Tam villagers themselves. Task force members are fluent in both Vietnamese and English.
2. Serve as a central, reliable source of information on the events surrounding Dong Tam: to emphasize, committee members are in direct contact with Dong Tam’s residents, as well as Vietnamese activists on the ground. We are also networked with media outlets, local lawyers, and international NGOs. As Vietnam’s media is state-run, it is considered biased and not a reliable source of information.
3. Coordinate actions for stakeholders involved, both locally and overseas: the task force will act as a hub to facilitate actions in an efficient manner between stakeholders.
We seek truth and justice for all involved, villager and police officer alike. It is the Vietnamese government that is preventing its own citizens from finding out the complete picture. The Dong Tam Task Force seeks to address this injustice.
Please join us, by:
▪️Becoming a member of the Dong Tam Task Force;
▪️Sending us information (when it be brief write-ups, essays, pictures, video clips) regarding the Dong Tam event
▪️ Protecting witnesses who are still alive and have not been arrested
▪️Spreading information about the Dong Tam event
▪️ Contributing any ideas or initiatives you may have for this fight to restore justice, or to protect victims and witnesses.
Representatives of the Dong Tam Task Force:
Cấn Thị Thêu (Cấn Thị Thêu)
Trịnh Bá Phương (Trịnh Bá Phương)
Trịnh Bá Tư (Trịnh Bá Tư)
Phạm Đoan Trang (Pham Doan Trang)
Will Nguyen (Will Nguyen)
Nguyễn Trường Sơn (Trường Sơn Nguyễn)
Nguyễn Văn Hải (Van Hai Nguyen)
Please send all enquiries to DongTamTaskForce@protonmail.com.
