A Vietnamese YouTube content material creator advised RFA that native police in Ho Chi Minh Metropolis beat him twice and destroyed his camcorder, including that he has been bleeding and skilled nausea and vomiting the day after the beating. 

Tran Dinh Son, a 29-year-old Vietnamese YouTuber from the town’s Cu Chi district, runs the channel Đời thường TV, which has simply over 10 followers.

He advised RFA that communal police within the Tran Phu Trung district attacked him whereas he was making a fishing video on Monday. Son mentioned he went fishing at a lake that additionally grows lotuses on the Tan Phu Trang industrial park, hoping to seize content material that he would later placed on his YouTube channel.

However Son says a safety guard then got here from the economic park and requested him to cease fishing. After the 2 males argued for some time, Son says the guard known as native police to return, who additionally requested him to depart. When he refused, Son says one of many cops and the safety guard took turns beating him. 

“A police officer slapped me two or thrice after which held me in order that the safety guard might beat me. The three cops had been very massive whereas I used to be small. They hit me on the top and threatened me. Whereas beating me the guard screamed ‘Give me your deal with, I’ll come kill your mother and father!’” Son mentioned, recounting the main points of the incident. 

Son says the police then subdued him and took him to the commune headquarters, the place they confiscated the GoPro5 that he makes use of to create YouTube content material, two cellphones, and his motorbike earlier than leaving. When different officers had been assigned to cope with his case, Son says they requested him to write down a report in regards to the incident, which he refused to do, and demanded to know why he was violently overwhelmed whereas he had not dedicated a criminal offense. 

“On the police station, I used to be overwhelmed once more. They hit me rather a lot on my head and my arm with their naked fingers. A police officer named Tai hit me and kicked me. One other strangled me and one who gave the impression to be the boss elbowed me in my face. Then they handcuffed me, knocked me right down to the ground and dragged me to a room close by and left me alone there.”

As Son shouted for assist, a lady heard him and knowledgeable his mom, an area trainer. When Son’s mom, Nguyen Thi Ty, arrived on the headquarters, he mentioned police agreed to take away his handcuffs after which repeated their request for him to write down a report in regards to the incident, the place he would admit to “illegally” fishing on the park. 

Son says the police added that they’d return all his belongings provided that he deleted the movies of them beating him.

When police returned his belongings, they requested him to fill out a handover word. Nevertheless, Son says some components of his GoPro 5, which prices VND4 million (round USD $170), had been destroyed. 

When the officers left for a break whereas he was filling out his paperwork and didn’t return, Son and his mom left the station. One other group of cops, nonetheless, stopped him from going to the hospital to deal with his accidents, he mentioned.

One of many officers, surnamed Hai, requested Son to return the handover word that he stuffed out on the police station, threatening him with fees of “stealing state knowledge” if he refused. 

In a video filmed at Son’s dwelling, Hai, who was in uniform, denied having overwhelmed Son. 

RFA contacted the Tan Phu Trung commune police workplace to confirm the incident. Nevertheless, the officers who answered the telephone mentioned they may not present a response except a reporter got here on to their workplace.

Translated by Anna Vu. Written by Nawar Nemeh.