On the morning of February 16, 2007, Mr. Nguyen Phong, co-founder of the Viet Nam Progression Party received request from Thuy Xuan village’s police that they want to meet him at his residence for the New Year greetings. Mr. Nguyen Phong’s residence is located at 86 Ngo Dang Cat Street, Thuy Xuan, Hue. This is also the official head office of the Vietnam Progressive Party. At the time, Mr. Nguyen was alone at home because his wife and their three children had gone to Nam Dinh province, the couple’s home town, to visit family for the New Year celebration.
Mr. Nguyen Phong agreed to the request and arranged the appointment for the visit at 13:00hr the same day. However, at noon, about 50 police officers in plain-clothes surrounded his house. At 13:00hr and 14:00hr, Father Nguyen Van Ly contacted Mr. Nguyen Phong via telephone, in which Phong informed Father Ly that he would only agree to the New Year’s visit, but refused to be detained for interrogation by the police.
At 22:00hr, taking advantage of the electrical power loss in the area, about 50 plain-clothes police raided Mr. Nguyen’s home without a warrant. They searched, took pictures and copied files from his computer. The raid lasted all night into Giao Thua, the sacred time of New Year’s Eve. Mr. Nguyen Phong was detained at home until 6am the next day. The police confiscated his computer, documents, and escorted him away. Mr. Nguyen Phong’s whereabouts is still yet known; his relatives were told by police that, “Phong has gone to Nam Dinh to join his wife” when in fact, his wife Mrs. Trinh Thi Thuy, is anxious to bring their three children back to Hue to find Phong.
Similarly, at noon February 16 2007, Mr. Nguyen Binh Thanh, another co-founder of Viet Nam Progression Party, who was on his way to the Party’s office (Mr. Nguyen Phong’s residence) in planning to join with Phong, to receive the local government officials in their New Year’s visit as initially requested? But the police intercepted him from getting to the office; not only that they threatened to toss him over the nearby bridge. Mr. Nguyen Binh Thanh was forced to return home.
At 20:00hr, Mr. Nguyen Binh Thanh came to the Archdiocese of Hue to attend the New Year Eve’s Mass, but numerous police officers forced him back into his house, at 87 Dien Bien Phu Street, Hue and detained him there all night.
At 8:00am of the following morning, Mr. Nguyen Binh Thanh was summoned and arrested by Truong An Ward Police. When this news report is sent at 21:30hr of February 17, 2007, Mr. Nguyen Binh Thanh’s whereabouts is still unknown.
