Sporting a short-sleeved T-shirt, shorts and sandals, the person with the glasses whistled as he slid onto the saddle of his Fino bike, backed it away from his Bangkok rental dwelling and rode off.
These have been the final photographs captured by the safety digital camera of blogger Duong Van Thai. The digital camera display confirmed the footage was recorded at 4:37 a.m. on April 13, 2023 – however the timestamp was nearly definitely inaccurate.
The video confirmed Thai motoring away throughout daylight, and neighbors stated he left dwelling at round 11 a.m. on Thursday. Later that day, he live-streamed for about 20 minutes on his YouTube channel with almost 120,000 followers. He talked about final week’s trial of blogger Nguyen Lan Thang and the U.S. secretary of state’s go to to Vietnam.
Calls to his cell phone and messages on WhatsApp on Thursday afternoon went unanswered, a number of of his mates stated, and he by no means returned dwelling.
On Sunday, police in Vietnam’s northern province of Ha Tinh introduced they’d discovered an individual with out identification illegally getting into the nation by way of trails on its border with Laos. They confirmed that the individual was named Duong Van Thai, born in 1982.
Duong Van Thai, also referred to as Thai Van Duong, had been making use of for refugee standing with the United Nations refugee company’s workplace in Bangkok. Thailand for a lot of many years has served as a casual protected haven for political refugees within the area.
The 41-year-old fled Vietnam in both 2018 or early 2019 fearing political persecution for his many weblog posts and movies that criticized the federal government and leaders of the Communist Celebration on Fb and YouTube.
Now it seems that he was kidnapped and compelled to return to Vietnam.
‘Every little thing appears regular’ at rental dwelling
Grace Bui, a Vietnamese American human rights activist dwelling in Thailand, instructed Radio Free Asia that she and her mates went to Thai’s dwelling on Monday.
“Inside his room, all the pieces appears regular, similar to Duong has simply gotten up within the morning and gone out for a fast stroll,” she stated. “We discovered the bag he typically carried when going out. His pockets was nonetheless within the bag, and his UN card and financial institution playing cards have been nonetheless within the pockets. We discovered his laptop computer additionally.”
The UN card is a refugee card issued by the UN Excessive Commissioner of Refugees workplace in Bangkok to individuals who have refugee standing and are ready to be resettled in a 3rd nation.
The again of refugee card has textual content in each English and Thai that reads as follows:
“The bearer of this card is expounded to UNHCR, registered and documented underneath the UN Basic Meeting’s authorization, and can’t be compelled to return to their nation of origin. All assist to the bearer is extremely appreciated.”
All of the belongings in his room appeared to point out that Thai was not ready for an extended journey again to Vietnam, the place he faces a heavy sentence for his criticism towards the federal government and the ruling Communist Celebration.
A detailed pal of Thai stated that Thai had a secure life in Thailand and really a lot needed to resettle in a 3rd nation. He had no plans to return to Vietnam, in accordance with Hoang Trong Man, also referred to as Man Hien Phap.
“I wish to affirm that Mr. Duong Van Thai didn’t intend to return to Vietnam as a result of if he had had such a plan, he would have instructed us and picked up some belongings earlier than he left,” he stated.
Pre-disappearance indicators
A number of of Thai’s mates instructed RFA that he had shared with them a chunk of nice information on Wednesday. He did an interview with UNHCR officers, who requested if he had any family members in Australia. Thai replied that he needed to resettle in the USA, the place his girlfriend lived.
Bui, who was in common contact with Thai earlier than his disappearance, instructed RFA that it was not possible that Thai would return to Vietnam a day after doing an immigration interview with UNHCR.
“Duong [Thai] by no means meant to return to Vietnam, and when you ask Duong’s mates, you’ll know that he by no means needed to return to Vietnam,” she stated.
Nguyen Xuan Kim, one other Vietnamese refugee in Thailand and a detailed pal of Thai’s, stated that round two weeks earlier than going lacking, he shared his emotions of insecurity simply after he posted movies about political infighting in Vietnam.
“His current posts referred to many senior officers of the Ministry of Public Safety, concerning the basic who had an extramarital affair,” Kim stated. “He stated briefly that he ought to be vigilant simply in case however didn’t go into the specifics.”
Thai instructed Kim that considered one of his neighbors stated that on April 6, a person driving a bike with a Chiang Rai provincial quantity plate approached Thai’s dwelling to movie and take photographs. The person spoke Thai however with a wierd accent, the neighbor instructed Kim.
Kim instructed RFA on Tuesday that Thai gave him entry to his rental dwelling’s safety digital camera system, some social media accounts and a few digital gadgets. Nevertheless, Kim stated he hasn’t been in a position to entry a lot of the info.
Who was concerned?
A press release from Amnesty Worldwide’s regional workplace expressed concern over the details about Thai’s arrest in Vietnam, notably on condition that the UNHCR had acknowledged his refugee standing.
“Viet Nam retains shut tabs on dissidents and has prior to now proven that it’s not above monitoring and surveilling them past its borders. Vietnamese refugees dwelling in Thailand who fled the nation due to the federal government’s repression should be protected and mustn’t need to reside in fixed concern,” the group stated within the assertion despatched to RFA on Tuesday.
RFA contacted UNHCR and its workplace in Thailand, in addition to the Thai Ministry of International Affairs, by way of e mail to inquire about Thai’s case however hasn’t acquired a response.
Phil Robertson, the deputy Asia director of Human Rights Watch, urged the Thai authorities to make clear Thai’s case.
“There are such a lot of extremely troubling questions concerning the abduction of Thai Van Duong, however what is just not in dispute is he was dwelling in Thailand as a UNHCR-recognized refugee entitled to full safety,” he stated in an e mail to RFA on Tuesday.
“How he was compelled from Thai soil to Vietnam, who was concerned, and when and the place did it occur are pressing issues that the Thai authorities should instantly examine.”
Robertson stated he fears that Thai’s case is yet one more instance {that a} so-called “swap mart” exists between Thailand and repressive neighboring international locations like Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos.
“It is vitally unlikely that Vietnam authorities brokers may have simply come into Thailand and snatched a dissident with out some native Thai officers realizing about this, and agreeing to look the opposite approach,” he stated.
“Whoever did this clearly broke each Thai and worldwide regulation that prohibits sending an individual again to the place they’ll face persecution, torture, and abuse, and there’s no doubt all these issues lie sooner or later for Thai Van Duong within the palms of the Vietnamese police,” he stated. “There should be accountability to finish this type of looking of refugees and asylum seekers in Thailand, beginning with this case.”
Bui stated representatives of worldwide rights organizations in Bangkok have met prior to now to debate assist and defend refugees in Thailand.
Thai Immigration Police and accountable companies in Vietnam haven’t responded to RFA’s emails despatched on Saturday requesting remark.
Translated by Anna Vu. Edited by Matt Reed and Malcolm Foster.
