April 28th 2023.
On April 13, Thai Van Duong disappeared from the streets of Pathum Thani province, north of Bangkok, Thailand. Witnesses heard high-pitched screams coming from just off-camera and a video was discovered that captured the panicked shrieks of the abducted Vietnamese blogger.
Activists went to the area to search for clues and to interview witnesses who had seen what they believed to be Thai's kidnapping. One witness, who had not seen the video, did an almost exact imitation of the screams – evidence that helped the activists confirm the cries in the video belonged to Thai.
Thai had fled Vietnam in 2019 due to fear of political persecution for his posts and videos that criticized the Vietnamese government and Communist Party on Facebook and YouTube. On April 16, police in Vietnam's Ha Tinh province said he had entered the country via trails on its border with Laos.
Friends of Thai believe he was likely kidnapped by Vietnamese security forces and brought back to Vietnam. In order to find out what happened, the activists have asked store owners and local authorities to hand over security video, and have spoken to those who had seen Thai in the hours leading up to his disappearance.
The evidence they have gathered showed Thai buying coffee at a shop and live-streaming on Facebook in a park, discussing the recent trial of another blogger in Vietnam and the visit of the US Secretary of State to Hanoi. He said, “The Vietnamese Communist Party always propagates that ‘words go hand in hand with works’ – but they never do so.”
Despite the tragic circumstances of his disappearance, Thai's story has brought to light the issues of political persecution in Vietnam, and the activists are determined to continue their efforts to find out what happened to him.
The 38-second video captured Thai Van Duong's panicked shrieks when he was allegedly abducted on April 13, just north of Bangkok in Thailand’s Pathum Thani province. The images in the video are not of the incident, but the terrified screams of Thai inspired Vietnamese-American human rights activist Grace Bui and witnesses in the area to believe that it was indeed him.
One witness even mimicked the screams, which further confirmed to activists that it was Thai in the video. Thai had fled to Thailand in 2019 to avoid political persecution for his posts and videos criticizing the Vietnamese government and the Communist Party.
Friends of Thai realized he was missing on April 13 and soon after police in Vietnam’s Ha Tinh province said he had entered the country via trails on its border with Laos. Thai’s friends, including Grace Bui, however, believe that he was kidnapped by Vietnamese security forces and brought back to Vietnam.
The activists retraced Thai’s steps on the day of his disappearance, speaking to witnesses and asking store owners and local authorities for security video. The footage shows Thai getting on his motorbike outside his house, driving through his neighborhood’s gate, standing at the front register of a coffee shop, and
even appearing in a Facebook livestream in the park.
Thai’s story is a testament to the bravery of activists and dissidents in Vietnam, who continue to fight for human rights and freedom of speech despite the dangers they face.
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