Re: Bui Thi Kim Thanh
To: Prime Minister of Vietnam
From: Darlene D. R. Kavka, member of LRWC
Date: 2006-11-24
I am a lawyer practicing law in the Province of British Columbia, in the country of Canada.
It has come to my attention that on November 2, 2006 one of my sister lawyers from VietNam, Bui Thi Kim Thanh, was involuntarily detained at the mental institution known as Bien Hoa Mental Hospital. I am informed that Bui Thi Kim Thanh has been injected with unknown medications without regard for her will or instructions. Moreover, according to the information available to me, Bui Thi Kim Thanh has not been diagnosed as mentally ill, nor has she been charged with the commission of a crime.
It is out of the utmost concern for Bui Thi Kim Thanh’s safety and personal integrity that I am writing to request that her detainment discontinue and that she be returned to her life and family, immediately and without harm.
History has shown us that the existence of ideological or political differences ought not to be punished, but rather utilized as a tool for learning. Intellectual social
development has long been a cornerstone of Viet Nam’s history and culture. That development can not exist without the coexistence of freedom of thought and people dedicated to the development of their own society, such as Bui Thi Kim Thanh. She is a credit to your nation and worthy of your protection.
I implore you to please do what you can to protect this woman and return her to her life and family unharmed.
