Houston — HOUSTON – A 32-year-old Houston native arrested in Vietnam during protests went on state television and said, “I regret that I caused trouble for people heading to the airport,” according to the New York Times.
Will Nguyen, 32, was arrested on June 10 during protests that Sunday. He added that, “(He) will not join any anti-state activities anymore.”
According to the Times, the Vietnamese authorities, controlled by the Communist Party, are known to coerce detainees into making such public confessions. They also have a history of suppressing free speech and punishing critics with long prison sentences.
Since his arrest, his family hasn't heard from him. As you can imagine, Nguyen’s family is terrified, especially after images of him being dragged and beaten surfaced online.
His family is now pleading for answers.
Victoria Nguyen has a very close relationship with her brother Will. She said the unknown is eating away at her.
“We basically haven’t heard from him, about him, his whereabouts. Everything that we know of him is from outside resources,” Victoria said.
She said her brother is in Vietnam waiting to graduate from the University of Singapore next month. On June 10, Will was detained during large protests in that country against the Chinese government.
On his Twitter he documented what was taking place. He shared pictures of the crowds and the dangerous situation protestors were going through.
Victoria said Will was beaten and arrested.
“We’re used to a different democracy,” Victoria said. “This is a communist country so that was disheartening because that’s our people. We’re Vietnamese-Americans. We’re proud to be Vietnamese and it’s just unfortunate that they’re treating him like that.”
It is unknown if Will is okay.
Victoria traveled to Washington D.C. to meet with congressmen and make them aware of the situation.
“I’m handling everything with the embassy and just everybody on the Hill and my mom is kind of taking care of the Vietnamese media,” she said.
She said they assured her brother will be okay.
“Because he’s American. He is protected in a way where they have to do the right thing or ... diplomacy between the two countries wouldn’t be good after that,” Victoria said.
Her goal is to find a resolution as soon as possible and get her brother home.
“Right now we’re really just trying to put a hard press on the Vietnamese government to just release him," Victoria said. "We want the media attention. We want everybody to know the situation and this injustice. There’s no reason for him to still be detained.”
Her biggest concern is Will is injured and is not receiving the medical attention he needs.