Abuse of Vietnamese Refugees in Thai Immigration Detention Centers (IDC)

By Hai Di Nguyen – May 15, 2025

From May 6–8, 2025, in Kathmandu, Nepal, torture victims had the chance to share their experiences with Dr. Alice Jill Edwards, the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture. Among them were Vietnamese-Americans like Dang Minh Ty and Percy Nguyen (BPSOS), who raised concerns about abuses against Vietnamese refugees in Thailand’s IDC facilities.

Inhumane Conditions in IDC

Lù A Da, a Hmong Christian refugee, was jailed in Bangkok’s IDC in December 2023. He described rooms crammed with up to 150 people in a 6x20m space, no bedding, and people lying “like corpses in coffins.”

Roy, another refugee, said he had to sleep squeezed against others, legs intertwined. Both reported seeing inmates with mental breakdowns due to prolonged detention and abuse.

Beatings and Threats

Lù A Da recounted being beaten by a Vietnamese inmate named Trần Thanh Tuấn, the “room leader,” after simply handing him water. Tuấn and his aides routinely hit other refugees and used handcuffs to punish those who resisted.

In another case, a detainee known as Mr. C reported that on May 1, 2025, his younger brother was beaten unconscious in a bathroom. When Mr. C tried to help, he too was assaulted. Police told him, “If no one dies, we do nothing. If someone dies, we cremate them.”

Despite security cameras, Thai police reportedly ignore the abuse.

Extortion and Possible Embassy Links

Some refugees said Tuấn had ties to the Vietnamese embassy and claimed he wasn’t afraid of it. To be released or deported, detainees allegedly had to pay 13,000–15,000 baht (~$400), far higher than actual airfare costs.

Urgent Plea for Help

As of now, 13 Hmong refugees remain detained, hoping for financial aid to secure release.
Support contact: bpsos@bpsos.org

Watch related interview: YouTube