Freelance journalist Truong Minh Duc demands a proper treatment


Houston (TX), Feb. 24, 2008 (VPP) — Freelance Journalist Truong Minh Duc has been experiencing hardships with his broken arm and illness because of improper treatments. According to information obtained by his family members in mid-February, Mr. Duc did inform that because of the pains, he could not sleep well and his health is worsening. The lack of sleep also causes complication to his blood pressure. Therefore, Mr. Duc is demanding   proper treatment for his broken arm.

Mr. Duc broke his arm in mid-January 2008 while in custody and the jail authority did not allow any immediate treatment for him. After a week of repeated complaints of severe pains, the authority sent him to a local medical facility for a simple check up and arm casting. However, the improper treatment did not relieve his pain and cure the broken arm. After the casting was removed in February, Mr. Duc’s arm still swollen and continues caused severe pain.

Journalist Truong Minh Duc was born in 1960. He is a member of Bloc 8406 as well as the Vietnam Populist Party.  The Vietnam authority accused him of violating section 258th of the Criminal Law and arrested him on May 5, 2007. After a chain of interrogations at B-34 Detention Center in Hochiminh City and Kien-Giang Provincial Security Jail, the authority transferred him to Vinh Thuan District Jail Facility in Kien-Giang province awaiting a formal trial.

Since 1994, Mr. Truong Minh Duc has been well known in several southern provinces for his dedication to assist several victims of government’s corruption and power abuses. He had authored several articles against corruptions and power abuses. His articles published in several newspapers in Vietnam such as Tien Phong, Tuoi Tre, Kien Giang, Phap Luat and Thanh Nien. Besides his legal name of Truong Minh Duc, he used pen names as Hoàng-Hà, Hoàng-Thành, Phương-Nam, Quốc-Thắng, and Nam-Phương. He also sent reports of civil rights violation in Vietnam to several overseas Vietnamese websites and newspapers. Copy of his works for newspaper in Vietnam can be seen at: http://www.hoamai.org/members/MinhDuc/TMD.htm. As a freelance writer, he often received harassment and threats by the security forces for his bold articles against dictatorial rule and governmental corruption.

On behalf of Mr. Truong Minh Duc and his family, we hereby ask for help from human right and media organizations, in raising awareness of Mr. Duc’s case, and demanding the Vietnam authority to give Mr. Duc a proper treatment as soon as possible.

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Vietnam Populist Party (VPP) is a Vietnam based, grass root political party. VPP dedicates to promoting Democracy, Social Justice and Benefits for the Poor.

 

For more information, please visit www.vietnampopulist.org.  For Vietnamese, please visit www.hoamai.org

Nguyen, CongBang (General Secretary of the VPP)

congbang@dvdvn.org

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PO Box 842064, Houston, TX 77284

713-499-9627 (Direct)

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