The Rehab Archipelago - Human Rights Watch

paper which was a decision from the People's Committee with my name on
it saying it had been decided that I would undergo compulsory detention in
a drug center for 24 months. My parents and I signed some papers. I didn't
want to go but had to follow the decision as it was compulsory. 64
Among those who spoke with Human Rights Watch, not all were sent immediately to drug
detention centers after being taken into police custody. Muong Nhe, in his late 30s, told
Human Rights Watch that police picked him up in a round-up of drug users, gave him a
drug test (which was positive), then released him.
I lived at home and continued to use for a month-and-a-half and then the
police [came for me and] told me I was going to a center for 24 months. I
didn’t sign anything and my family didn’t sign anything. I never got a
document telling me about my detention or the terms of the decision. 65
In many cases, individuals told Human Rights Watch that police pressured them and/or
their families into signing a document prior to their detention. Many former detainees did
not comprehend what the document said and feared what would happen if they or family
members did not sign. 66
Tra Linh was in her late 20s in 2006 when the police came for her while she was at home.
She told Human Rights Watch that she suspected her neighbors reported her drug use to
the police. She was taken to a police station and tested for drugs.
[The police] told me to sign a paper or I would be slapped. I was shocked
and worried so I signed it. So did a family member. I was not given a copy
so I don’t know if it said how long my term was. That very night I was put in
the drug center on a compulsory basis. 67
Tra Linh was detained for almost two years in total.
64 Human Rights Watch interview with Lang Giang, Ho Chi Minh City, 2010.
65 Human Rights Watch interview with Muong Nhe, Ho Chi Minh City, 2010.
66 For example, Human Rights Watch interviews with Tra Linh, Trung Khanh, Truc Ninh, Quy Hop, Ly Nhan,
Ouynh Luu, Yen The, Ba Che and Tien Du, Ho Chi Minh City, 2010.
67 Human Rights Watch interview with Tra Linh, Ho Chi Minh City, 2010.
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