Bui Tuan Lam (also known as Peter Lam Bui) is a citizen of Viet Nam and a Catholic. He was born on May 6, 1984. He resides in Hai Chau district, Da Nang city and runs a beef noodle stall at home. He is a human rights defender and a peaceful civil rights activist in Viet Nam for over the past 10 years.
Mr. Lam is a member of No-U Saigon and Vietnam Path Movement. Throughout his activism, he has repeatedly been monitored, harassed, arrested and physically attacked by the Government.
Activism
Mr. Lam started his activism in 2011, when he participated in a peaceful protest against China’s actions in the South China Sea. Ever since, he has actively contributed to Viet Nam’s civil society development through activities such as: establishing funds for victims of injustice, contributing to families of prisoners of conscience’s livelihoods, philanthropy work towards communities affected by natural disasters, participating in peaceful protests, joined in trials of prisoners of conscience, and blogging criticism on the Government’s policies on social networks. He spent half a year participating in courses in the Philippines about civil society and non-violent resistance in 2013 and came to Switzerland to attend the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of the United Nations in early 2014.
Arrest and pretrial detention
On September 7, Mr. Lam was kidnapped after he left a relative’s house in Da Nang city on his motorbike, he was witnessed being raided and taken away by two groups of men in casual clothes, without any legal documents. His phone and identity papers, including his wife’s bank card were robbed. When the family came and asked Da Nang City Police if they got Mr. Lam’s whereabouts and situation, they were answered that the police had no information about arresting him.
Later on that day, there was a force of about 200 Da Nang police equipped with guns, batons, protective gear with many cars and trucks that surrounded Mr. Lam’s private house. The vulnerable group in the house consisted of an elderly woman, a woman in late pregnancy, and 8 children aged from 2-8. The area’s network signal was immediately jammed; the internet and mobile devices were disconnected; Mr. Lam’s neighbors were required by the police to delete relevant images and videos. Following that, Mr. Lam was transferred home, being handcuffed.
Reportedly, the Da Nang security violently attacked the family, including Mr. Lam’s mother, brothers and kids in the house. After singing out loud a Christian hymn, Mr. Lam was gagged. The Da Nang Police confiscated: 3 T-shirts with the line “Human rights must be respected in Vietnam” imprinted on them, 1 microphone which belongs to Mr. Lam’s daughter, 1 state-owned publishers’ songbook of Mr. Lam’s wife, 1 registration paper sent to Mr. Lam from Google, and his wife’s personal phone. Shortly after Mr. Lam shouted “freedom for Vietnam”, he was covered with a rag on his mouth, escorted to the security vehicle, and brought back to the police station.
Mr. Lam is still in incommunicado detention in Hoa Son camp, Da Nang City. He has not been allowed to communicate with the outside world, not even his family and legal counsel. He suffers from blood pressure and cardiovascular disease. His family can’t visit him or send particular items such as medicines or warm clothing for the winter. The date of his trial has not been set and the confiscated items have never been returned.
References:
Profile of Mr. Bui Tuan Lam: https://the88project.org/profile/592/bui-tuan-lam/
