November 28, 2024
Information about the case of Tu Anh Tu being kidnapped, tortured and illegally detained
According to the information I received from Anh Tu’s wife, Tu left home more than a month ago (mid-October 2024) and told his family that he would go to Cambodia for 2-3 days and then return. Tu went to Cambodia at the request of a friend there, asking Tu to go and ransom the kidnapped person back.
Tu Anh Tu, the victim who was tricked and sold to human traffickers in Cambodia, is currently in danger.
When Tu arrived, he did not tell his family the situation at first but later informed his family that he was tricked and sold to a Chinese company, forced to work as a slave and was brutally beaten. (The job here is understood as calling Vietnam to scam, whoever can scam, they will give them food and drink and will not be beaten, but Tu could not scam anyone so he was beaten and tortured).
It is known that Tu was kidnapped with 7 other Vietnamese people, the total amount of money for selling 8 people (including Tu) was initially $17,000. From then until November 20, Tu’s group was bought and sold through different Chinese companies a total of 3 times, the amount of money sold was up to $70k. The place where he was detained and forced to work was in a high mountainous area of Kampot province, Cambodia.
On the morning of November 20, Tu texted his family to report the human trafficking ring run by Vietnamese people, the owner was Chinese. Specifically, the two subjects named Hung and Ut (possibly fake names), Tu said that Hung and Ut were lovers, Hung was from Hai Duong or Quang Ninh, Ut spoke with a Southern accent (unknown hometown), Ut often boasted that she was the adopted sister of Mr. Chan Chea, Secretary of State of Cambodia (unknown truth or falsehood). In addition, Tu also asked his friends in Cambodia to report to the Cambodian police for rescue.
Traces of Tu Anh Tu being brutally beaten.
From the evening of November 20 to November 23, the family lost contact with Tu, Tu’s wife received information that Tu’s group of 8 people were rescued by the Cambodian police thanks to Tu sending the location of Tu’s group being held. However, later Tu’s wife received information that only 6 people had been rescued, while 2 people including Tu and 1 other person had not been rescued yet. At the same time, someone sent Tu a photo of Tu’s back and side with dark purple bruises on his buttocks and back. And there were strangers who continuously called and texted Tu’s mother, Tu’s younger brother, and Tu’s wife with threatening words, preventing the family from posting this information and continuously demanding ransom. Fearing that Tu was still being held by scammers and human traffickers, Tu’s wife asked the press and online community not to report anything at this time.
On November 24, Tu’s wife received news that Tu had been rescued by Cambodian police and was being detained at the Kampot provincial police station. Tu used a phone borrowed from a police officer to text his wife that he had been rescued and that he would have to wait until November 25 for the interpreter to come in and meet him and then complete the procedures for the Cambodian police to release him.
On the evening of November 26, Tu borrowed a phone to call his wife to inform her that he would be released at 7am on November 27. However, by 7pm that same day, Tu had not been released and Tu informed his wife that the Kampot police had received a complaint from the Chinese company that the group of 8 people all had labor contracts with them and requested that the Cambodian side return the people to them to continue the contract or pay them a contract termination fee of $70K (to put it bluntly, a ransom). Tu was only allowed to make a 2-minute phone call and then immediately returned the phone. The Cambodian person (the subject is unknown) told Tu’s wife that if there was not enough ransom money, by 10am on November 28 at the latest, the Kampot police would return the people to the Chinese company.
The above is the information I have found (somewhat incomplete), we can temporarily conclude that Tu has escaped from the hands of the traffickers and is at the Kampot police station, which means he is safe and is no longer being beaten or tortured. But unfortunately, after 4 days, Tu has not been released yet, and Tu is still being held hostage to demand ransom from his family.
Tu Anh Tu’s wife’s petition for help from the Vietnamese Embassy in Cambodia.
Perhaps this is the time when Tu needs the most to speak up from the community at home and abroad, needs the help of the Vietnamese Embassy in Cambodia, and really needs the citizen protection work of the Consular Department under Vietnam’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs its Vietnamese citizens. Diplomatic and media pressure is now very important, deciding whether Tu can soon reunite with his family or not.
The issue of human trafficking is a big problem that the Vietnamese media has reported for a long time, I feel very sad when an acquaintance of mine becomes a victim of it. This is also a very sensitive issue because of the solidarity between countries in diplomatic relations, and sensitive in the issue of reporting because the lives of those who are sold are in the hands of the perpetrators. Hopefully, with our timely, appropriate, and timely voice, we will help our brother to be free soon.
Tu Minh Quang
