markjgsmith

Captivity Notes: Fri 10th Jan 2025

2025-01-10 12:32:00 +07:00 by Mark Smith

8ish am:

• A pickup truck with apparently police turned up last night around 10pm. Just moments after the apparent Colombian bloke that has been stopping by for a chat every now and then these past 4 or 5 weeks. As he left he had gotten uncharistically serious suddenly and said ‘lie’, walking off much faster than usual. He had also been sitting most of the time we talked with one arm behind his back. The police have turned up before and we’ve spoken several times but nothing has ever ensued, though one officer has previously mentioned a "visitors centre" which apparently was new and apparently was about a 20 min drive away. Somewhere near the RMIT university, on the other side of Phnam Gu Lau from where I am now.
• This time the officers weren’t so nice, they grabbed me sort of violently, certainly sturdily and ordered me to get in the pick up truck. They have previously asked me to get in one of their pickup trucks but didn’t do anything when I didn’t. This time though it was obvious that was very unlikely to happen when they grabbed my bags and threw them into the back of the pickup truck.
• There were two officers in green uniform, one of them was the guy that previously said he would be back in one week to take me to the visitors centre but then never returned. There were also 2 or 3 military police with batons and a random bloke wearing a T-shirt that had a big Union Jack on the front. He was very keen on getting me into the pickup truck. I eventually said okay, but it was this very strange mélé push me pull you sort of thing that unfolded where when I said ok I’ll go voluntarily they all at the same time holding me, would block me from going into the truck, but then when I stopped trying to get in the truck they would stop forcing me into the truck. It was very bizare, quite a lot of shouting. I imagine it looked like to passers by that I was resisting them, but I very much wasn’t. Quite the opposite. I guess that was the point of it. It’s all very confusing.
• After several of these stop start situations I was eventually in the truck, my bags in the back. My backpack was partially open as I didn’t have a chance to close it before they grabbed it. I hope nothing fell out. So far it appears nothing did.
• They drove around the block a few times and we ended up at what I suppose is the local police station. It’s a few minutes walk from the bus stop where I have been spending most evenings this past year of so. There have been apparent police officers in uniform sitting outside the building for as long as I can remember so it does appear to be a legit police station.
• Inside however it’s a bit more like a squat to be honest. Like a disused police station. It looks like it might have been abandoned or something. It’s really messy. They have put me in a room that is attached to what looks like a prison cell. It has a desk and there is a metal bench which they told me to sleep on. Last night when I arrived they asked me for a urine sample and did some sort of test. They said it was testing for various drugs. All the strips on the test showed up with 2 bars which apparently was good, showed I had not taken any drugs. The officer from before made a few drugs jokes, which was a bit unnerving. I just said I don’t do any drugs or alcohol or cigarettes, which I don’t.
• He asked me to sign the back of the urine test with a sharpy, which I did. He took some photos of me holding the test. He said something about the visitor centre again. When I asked him when, he said over the next few days. I said how many, he said maybe 10 days. He asked for my passport, which I got from my bag and gave to him. He went away with it, said he would give it back to me. Came back with a plain clothes person, much more mild mannered, who sat with me and made some notes about when I arrived in Vietnam. I answered his questions as best I could. Found a piece of paper with the address of the apartment I used to rent. Looks like my last visa was back in Nov 2020. I was surprised by how long ago that was, 4 years since it’s just 2025 now. He was surprised too. Eventually he left taking my passport and said he would be back tomorrow and would arrange documents or forms and something about the ‘visitors centre’. It’s still very unclear as to what is going to happen. It’s 8am Friday.
• They said I could use the WiFi for internet, so I was able to schedule tomorrow’s newsletter issue, which is looking very strange, just a few words, not really sure what to say. I don’t know where I will be by tomorrow. I am able to browse web pages but downloading podcasts isn’t really possible. The latest Liz Truss Mr Obnoxious pod has been downloading for about an hour and is only at 79% complete. I’m half expecting it to get close to 100% then fail to fully download.
• Oddly the WiFi network looks like it’s just the default router name, no password. You would never know it’s the WIFI from a police station.
• Also the green uniform officer from before gave me a sandwich and large bottle of water.

815am:

• A somewhat younger green uniformed police officer just appeared almost as soon as I stopped typing the last update. He had been milling about in the connecting room for 20 mins or so. Walked in looked at me, appeared like he was about to smile but didn’t, so I didn’t either, and he took one of the chairs, the blue foldout one, and walked out without saying anything.

8:21:

• Download got to 91% but appears to have stopped
• Eventually did download, took over an hour.

9:32:

• Green uniform officer from before just entered room gave me a hamburger from 7/11 and said ‘more, for you’. I said ‘thank you’. He left.
• Note there have been people yakking away on the other side of the wall, which has a large metal door, for over an hour now.

1030ish:

• A different plain clothes person just came to talk, said he was from immigration. We spoke for an hour. He said I have to:
  1. Pay a fine of 17,500,000 vnd
  2. Buy a plane ticket home
• He said I would be taken to ‘the camp’. He also referred to it as the ‘deportation centre’. He said that I wouldn’t be able to leave. But also later said it was possible to leave.
• He said I was staying illegally in Vietnam.
• I explained the full story. That I am here and have been stuck here because of COVID.
• He said I needed to contact my consulate, I explained I already had done that, that I had been there in person and told them what they told me, that they essentially could not help.
• I was very clear that I never worked illegally. He asked me if I had been a teacher. I said no. I have not at any time been a teacher here, though many people have tried to get me to work as a teacher. It always seemed like it was going to be illegal. So I always said no.
• I tried to go through all the official channels: consulate said they couldn’t help, immigration told me they only operate via agencies, the agency though they initially said yes and I payed 50% deposit of approx 1000 dollar total cost, eventually said it was not possible and canceled the order. I showed him the receipt, told him the full story.
• The full agency story: the agency in question was previously able to issue visas to me. I got several with them but during COVID they tripled the price. I eventually ran out of money. Anyway, one day about a year after I’d gotten stuck here, a British person I met tried to help me by giving me 1000 dollars to fix the visa conundrum. I explained the full story to the agency, and they called immigration who apparently said it was possible to fix everything, and get a new visas. I paid 50% of the cost as deposit, approx 18000000 vnd, got a receipt. When I went back to pay the second half, he said there might be an issue. He rang his immigration contact and they talked at length. Eventually he came back to me saying it was possible but would only have a success rate of 80%. I asked why, because it was a huge amount of money, and each time I asked a question, he called the immigration, and spoke and the % went down. 60%…40%… and eventually it was a no. The agency refunded me the deposit. Then I was stuck.
• I am waiting for them to take me to this other place which has been described as the ‘foreigner centre’, and today as ‘the camp’ and also the ‘deportation centre’. I have no idea how I will pay the fine or buy the air ticket.
• Whenever I asked how I would be able to pay if I can’t work, he always started to lecture me sternly about not being allowed to work, even though I had already told him that I had not worked because it was not allowed. This happened 2 or 3 times at least.
• He kept saying that I would only be able to leave when I had ‘completed’ the fine.
• Sounds like I am going to be stuck in this camp place indefinitely since I can’t pay the fine or buy a plane ticket.

12:22:

• I’ve been making edits to my notes the past hour. It’s all so confusing, I’m trying to put it into words as best I can. It’s so many years now that I’ve been stuck. It all started in such a crazy time in the middle of the COVID lock downs. I tried to follow all the rules, I ended up outside, it’s been 4 years of hell living outside, and now they appear to be taking me to a camp where I will be stuck indefinitely. I’m trying to be optimistic about it, and as understanding as possible, but that’s how it seems to me at the minute.
• I’m currently sitting writing this in a small local police station in HCMC near Le Van Tam park. It’s very confusing, I really don’t know what’s going to happen to me.

14ish:

• The green uniform officer from before poped in with a sandwich. This time when he left he locked the door. I think I am now locked in here from the outside. Until now they had just been closing the door without locking it.

18:00:

• A different green uniformed police officer entered the room talking on a mobile phone, paced up and down a bit, said 'lie' then exited. This time it’s 100% crystal clear they are definitely locking the door. It was unclear if he was saying 'lie' to me or to the person on the phone. People saying 'lie' then walking off has been trending since yesterday evening.

Just taking notes cause this whole situation has me quite freaked out. No offense to anyone intended. #