Representative of Vietnam Civil Society Organizations detained by police at airport

Bui Tuan Lam (Peter Lam Bui) reflects prior to returning to Vietnam.

On 24 February 2014 at around 8:30 am, Bui Tuan Lam, a representative of the Vietnam Civil Society Organizations, was detained by Tan Son Nhat airport security officers upon his arrival to Saigon from Manila.

It is known that, as the plane had landed, Lam made a phone call to inform a friend of his arrival. However, by noon, his friends who had gathered at Tan Son Nhat to welcome him and pick him up could not find him anywhere. It seemed highly likely that Lam had been taken into custody by security officers.

Bui Tuan Lam, born 1984 in Danang, is an energetic member of the NO-U team in Saigon. In February this year, he represented theVietnam Civil Society Organizations in Geneva. Here he campaigned, promoting human rights for Vietnam with international organizations before the Universal Periodic Review of the status of human rights in Vietnam.

On February 17, together with local Vietnamese and Philippinos, Lam helped organize a memorial of the Border War in 1979 in front of the Chinese Embassy in Manila.

Upon Lam’s expected arrival, many bloggers in Saigon were present in Tan Son Nhat airport to welcome him back after his human rights campaigns abroad.

In a video clip recorded before his return to Vietnam, Bui Tuan Lam resolutely expressed this message:

“By the time you watch this video clip, it is almost certain that I will have been detained by Tan Son Nhat airport security police. I have no idea when they will release me, but this matters little to me.

I know I will be arrested this time when I go home, even though I have not done anything wrong. But I will not be afraid, and I trust you to do the same.

If I do not have my own freedom soon, I ask of you all to continue working towards:

- Freedom for Bui Hang

- Freedom for our patriots

- Freedom for Vietnam

And if possible, freedom for me too!

Last of all; please keep me in your prayers, for me to be strong, and maintain a strong and steady spirit.

And to my Mother and Father, please be happy. For if anything happens to me, believe that God is always with me."

Update: Lam’s friends reported that Bui Tuan Lam has been released from airport security custody. He is on his way home after being detained for eight hours.

CTV Danlambao