During his years in the resistance war against French domination, General Nguyen Chi Thanh were imprisoned many times by the invaders, but the dauntless wisdom of the general and his comrades many times threatened the enemy.
Shaming a judge
In September 1938, as the Secretary of the Party Committee of Thua Thien province (now Thua Thien-Hue province), Nguyen Chi Thanh led local people in the struggle against a tax increase draft bill by the French colonialists and the feudalist regime in southern Vietnam.
As the result, it was annulled and the enemy arrested Nguyen Chi Thanh and some leaders of the revolutionary movement and held them in captivity in Thua Phu prison, pending the court trial.
Asked by the judge, who was also the provincial chief, why he had joined the communists, Thanh loudly replied how he followed communism as he had no idea what communism meant. What he had been doing was just for the national independence, democracy and people’s welfare.
All the attendants in the court burst out laughing, because they had never heard an accused answered with such a firm attitude like Thanh.
The judge continued sarcastically that such a communist like he was only fought for rice.
Thanh shouted back: “Is it wrong when hungry people demand rice? Meanwhile, the pro-colonialists like you have plenty of wine and meat.”
While the judge was angered at Thanh’s answer, Thanh immediately questioned him on the reason why he had been arrested. The judge shouted back that Thanh had been arrested for spreading communist documents.
Thanh calmly said these documents had come from France so the judge had to charge the French Government.
The judge really lost face and could utter any words but sentenced Thanh to two years in prison.
Shouting to save a fellow prisoner
After Thanh was imprisoned, Le Chuong, member of the Party Committee of the Central region, was also arrested and subjected to constant barbarous tortures that threatened to take Chuong’s life. Nguyen Chi Thanh and the prison’s Party cell committee decided to cause chaos in Hue city to pressure on warders to save Chuong’s life.
Following this plan, all prisoners kept shouting as loud as they could “Down with terrorist acts! Down with torture! Protecting Le Chuong!”
Having failed to subdue the prisoners with water cannons, the jailers threw big floor boards at the prisoners.
Thanh and other members of the Party cell carried out a “tactic” that strong men would be in the front to form a strong “wall” protected by their blankets.
After three days, though some of them were injured, the prisoners’ increasing fighting spirit forced the enemy to stop torturing Le Chuong and place him in close confinement.
However, after the struggle, the enemy brought Thanh and some leading prisoners to court for another 6 months’ imprisonment in Lao Bao prison.
Going on hunger and thirst strike
In Lao Bao prison, Thanh was locked with other 40 prisoners in a wet and dark cellar with only ten metres long with few ventilating holes. Prisoners’ meals were only rotten fish, while their legs were chained round the clock. Many of them fell sick, especially with malaria.
To improve prisoners’ situation, Thanh decided to lead the prisoners in a hunger and thirst strike. Despite the enemy’s barbarous tortures with rods and gun stocks, the prisoners did not flinch.
It was really difficult for the prisoners to go on the strike as many of them might die of thirsty. They had to soak blankets in stagnant water in the cellar and squeeze them drop by drop into the mouths of those in danger of dying of thirst.
After 14 days, the news of Lao Bao prisoners’ strike spread around Hue city and the enemy had to make concessions, stop beating the prisoners and allow them to receive letters and normal meals.
After that, the enemy transferred Thanh and 4 others to Buon Ma Thuot. In 1941, he and some prisoners escaped from prison, then established the provisional Party Committee of Thua Thien province and continued consolidating revolutionary organizations in the province’s localities.
Translated by Van Hieu
Đăng ký: VietNam News
