Lu A Da

On December 7, 2023, Lu A Da was arrested by Thai Royal Police at his rental home near Bangkok, Thailand.

Lu’s arrest came one week after he publicly denounced the Vietnamese government’s “systematic suppression of H’mong communities in Vietnam” at a virtual event on November 29, 2023. In the meeting, he said that tens of thousands of Hmong people in Vietnam are not granted identification, birth, and marriage certificates. “As a result, children cannot go to school, adults cannot work, and seniors are not entitled to healthcare assistance provided by the government the like Kinh people,” Lu A Da added. 

At the time of the arrest, Lu A Da and his family had not been granted UNHCR refugee status. Their applications were rejected in March 2023. 

On December 8, 2023, Lu A Da was tried and charged with illegally entering and residing in Thailand. He was told that he would be held at a local detention center for 12 days and asked to pay 6,000 Thai Baht (~US$163) for the violation before being transferred to the Immigration Detention Center (IDC) in Bangkok. 

On December 14, 2023, BPSOS, a U.S.-based advocacy group for Vietnamese refugees, visited Lu A Da in the detention center and paid 3,500 Thai Baht (~US$95) on his behalf. Lu was then transferred to the IDC on the same day.  

On December 21, 2023, UNHCR granted Lu A Da and his family refugee status. He remained in the IDC until February 2, 2024, when BPSOS successfully paid 50,000 Thai Baht (~US$1,300) to bail him out. 

Lu A Da told Project88 that on December 28, 2023, an official named Hai from the Vietnamese Embassy in Bangkok, Thailand, visited him in the IDC. During the meet-up, Hai said he would complete the documents and send Lu back to Vietnam before the Lunar New Year. When Lu denied the offer, Hai threatened to harm Lu’s relatives. Lu A Da said he did not know Hai’s position at the embassy but that Hai and another official named Linh sometimes went to the detention center to work with Vietnamese detainees.

Although Lu A Da was released, he is at risk of facing extradition to Vietnam or kidnapping, like what happened to Truong Duy Nhat and Thai Van Duong. According to Thai law, Lu needs to visit the Immigration Bureau in Bangkok monthly so that the police can check on his presence. Practically, Lu A Da should do so until he leaves Thailand. If he can not leave Thailand within three years of the arrest, he will be sent back to the IDC.

Lu A Da was arrested in Bangkok for "illegal immigration and illegal residence." 

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Though Da was arrested outside of Vietnam and has not been convicted, Project88 has included his case due to the length of his detention and nature of the Vietnamese government’s alleged involvement in the arrest (and a pattern of cooperation between Thai and Vietnamese authorities in harassing and deporting activists). Please contact us for more information about his case.

Resources

US religious freedom commission urges Thailand not to deport Hmong activist to Vietnam, RFA, Dec. 21, 2023

H’mong activist arrested by Thai police after denouncing Vietnam’s rights violations, RFA, Dec. 13, 2023

Personal communication and information provided by Lu A Da on June 11, 2024. 

Phỏng vấn chiều ngày 29/11/2023. CFDV Media, Nov. 29, 2023. 

Anh Lù A Da bị bắt, để lại vợ và hai con nhỏ, Mach Song Media, Dec. 11, 2023. Archived source. 

Một nhà hoạt động H’mong bị cảnh sát Thái Lan bắt giữ sau khi tố cáo Việt Nam vi phạm nhân quyền, RFA Tiếng Việt, Dec. 13, 2023. Archived source. 

USCIRF quan ngại việc Thái Lan bắt giam nhà truyền đạo Hmong Lù A Da, VOA Tiếng Việt, Dec. 12, 2023. Archived source.

USCIRF kêu gọi Thái Lan không trục xuất nhà hoạt động Lù A Da về Việt Nam, RFA Tiếng Việt, Dec. 21, 2023. Archived source.

Thái Lan: Nhà hoạt động Lù A Da được tại ngoại, tố cán bộ ĐSQVN vào đe doạ, RFA Tiếng Việt, Feb. 06, 2024. 

Vietnam accused of abducting blogger from Thailand, Bangkok Post, April 21, 2023. Archived source.