A plea for help from Le Thi Kieu Oanh,
wife of Pham Minh Hoang, lecturer at Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology
To:
- The Bauxite Vietnam website,
- Media in Vietnam and overseas,
- Concerned people all over the world,
My name is Le Thi Kieu Oanh, aged 46, currently living in Saigon. I am very sadden and heartbroken to inform you that the Vietnamese government arrested my husband on August 13th, 2010 to interrogate him under Article 79 of Vietnam’s penal code.
My husband’s name is Pham Minh Hoang, aged 55, currently a lecturer at the Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology. He went to France to study in 1973. Inspired by the quality of education he received there, he dreamt of returning home, becoming a teacher and helping to foster young minds to build a prosperous future.
During a trip to visit his elderly ailing parents in Vietnam during the 1990s, he witnessed the poor quality of education offered to students. Inspired to take action, he returned home to Vietnam, giving up a peaceful, comfortable life overseas to look after his parents and accepted an offer as lecturer at the University to fulfill his dream. His wish is to help the Vietnamese youth realize their potential and contribute to the growth of our nation.
Apart from his concerns about the pressing issues the youth faced and the state of education in the last 10 years since he’s been home, he has been beset by the many difficulties facing our country, from corruption to social injustices. He often shared with me his concerns about environmental degradation in Vietnam. When the Vietnamese authorities allowed China to exploit bauxite in the Central Highlands, he was disheartened by such a disastrous decision. So having read the petition protesting the exploitation of bauxite in the Central Highlands started by Professor Nguyen Hue Chi, Teacher Pham Toan and Dr Nguyen The Hung he had no hesitation to add his name and called on his friends to do the same. He was equally troubled by the harrassment and arrest of Vietnamese fishermen around the Spratly and Paracel Islands. He attended a meeting about the Eastern Sea and Vietnam’s islands held in Saigon on July 24, 2009 to learn more about the issues.
To the world:
As a patriotic teacher, concerned about the state of education, environment and sovereignty of the country, my husband has lived honestly and with integrity. But the government, in return, has arrested my husband without producing any evidence or showing just cause, all to investigate his associations when he was in France and his efforts in organizing training workshops on leadership skills for students.
Leadership skills are crucial for building confidence and empowering future youths.These techniques have been taught in the Western world, especially in the United States to students at secondary schools. Currently, there are a lot of speciality courses like these in Vietnam and are well-liked by the Vietnamese youths.
So, is it a crime to organise a workshop such as this?
Of the connections and relationships my husband has fostered while abroad in France, is association also a crime?
Caring about the prosperity and future of Vietam, feeling for the adversities facing the country, is this also a crime? Being an impassionated teacher, passing on the patriotism to the Vietnamese youths, the responsible generation for carrying the country’s destiny, is this also a crime?
With this crisis befallen on our family in the past few days, I am determined to write you this letter to appeal for your help, so help free my husband from an injust detainment. I am writing this letter in a dire state of being confused and worried. Worried about my husband possibly being harmed during his arrest in the dark night; worried about the techniques of interrogation inflicted upon him and efforts to slander his nobel efforts; worried about little Tram Anh, our beloved 6 year old daughter – what will happen to her should her father be taken away? I respectfully ask you all to speak up and help protect Pham Minh Hoang and other patriots – the people who dedicate their lives to the cause of justice and work to fulfill their dreams of protecting their country and building a better tomorrow for the Vietnamese youth.
Thank you very much for your concern.
Le Thi Kieu Oanh
423 Nguyen Trinh Phuong, Ward 8, District 10, Ho Chi Minh City
Telephone: +84 838 532 010; +84 93 83 45 343
Our family’s email address:
Mr. Pham Duy Khanh: dkhanh.pham@gmail.com
Because I am not able to directly send out this letter, I’ve asked Khanh to help distribute it.
Attached are two pictures of Hoang: