The Rehab Archipelago - Human Rights Watch

For a month they put me in the punishment room with five or six others. It
was a small room with the toilet inside. We had no beds and showered only
once a week. We ate only the center's food and got no visitors. We still
worked, but were assigned the hardest jobs on the coffee farm. 130
Many former detainees told Human Rights Watch they worked in other forms of agricultural
production as well. For example, Huong Son was in his mid 30s when he was released from
the Phuoc Binh center at the end of 2009. He told Human Rights Watch that, in addition to
cashew production, “I worked in the potato fields where the potatoes were grown for
monosodium glutamate production.” 131
Quynh Luu described a range of work, including growing potatoes, at Center No. 3.
There were several kinds of work and I did them all. Clearing agricultural
land and making roads was one. Raising and drying potatoes to make
monosodium glutamate was another. 132
Construction and Construction Materials
Some former detainees said their forced labor involved working in construction. Dinh Lap
spent four years in Center No. 5 before being released in 2009. He explained:
I did three jobs in my four years there: grass cutting, building houses, and
painting houses. The houses were near the camp but outside the perimeter.
I don't know who got them. I worked eight hours a day six days a week. 133
Some detainees told Human Rights Watch they worked making bricks or floor tiles. Trung
Khanh said he worked at the Nhi Xuan center eight hours a day, six days a week making
floor tiles. 134 Ly Nhan was also detained at the Nhi Xuan center. He said:
I made bricks for four years, working six hours a day, paid by the brick, with
a team quota, and a team leader who was also a guard in charge of me. 135
130 Human Rights Watch interview with Que Phong, Ho Chi Minh City, 2010.
131 Human Rights Watch interview with Huong Son, Ho Chi Minh City, 2010. Monosodium glutamate, a common
flavor enhancer for food, can be produced by fermenting carbohydrates, including those found in potatoes.
132 Human Rights Watch interview with Quynh Luu, Ho Chi Minh City, 2010.
133 Human Rights Watch interview with Dinh Lap, Ho Chi Minh City, 2010.
134 Human Rights Watch interview with Trung Khanh, Ho Chi Minh City, 2010.
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