December 14, 2016
Security police in Saigon found nothing amusing about a local comedian’s online monologues and ordered the funnyman to come in for questioning.
Nguyen Phuc Gia Huy, a stand-up comedian who performs under the stage name Dua Leo (meaning cucumber) was asked to present himself to the Phu Trung ward police station on Monday to discuss “some issues regarding your stand-up comedy and distribution of video blogs,” according to the police summons.
Dua Leo has produced hundreds of videos on his Youtubechannel and Facebook page, providing witty commentary on politically sensitive issues. His video blogs on corruption, the environmental disaster off Vietnam’s central coast that killed millions of fish, and most recently, freedom of expression have been viewed millions of times.
Supporters who read Dua Leo’s post on his Facebook page stood outside the police station early on the morning of his summons, with signs in support of the vlogger as he went in. Huy emerged four hours later, joking and laughing about the ordeal, to the relief of many fans.
“What a way to get new ‘likes,’” he quipped.
“They made me swear not to discuss the contents of what was discussed with police,” Dua Leo said in a BBC Vietnamese interview.
In a video message which circulated over social media on Tuesday, Dua Leo said his Facebook page boasting more than 800,000 followers was “no longer under his management” following the police interview.
Vietnamese authorities routinely use intimidation tactics such as summons for questioning to repress free speech.
