1. A Vietnamese man with mental health challenges moved from Serchhip district jail to Aizawl’s destitute home.
2. The Centre for Environment and Social Justice, led by activist Ruatfela Nu, facilitated his release after 18 months in jail.
3. DahnNiang has been incarcerated in Serchhip district jail since April 24, 2020.
Aizawl, Dec 19: A mentally challenged Vietnamese man, who was incarcerated in Serchhip district jail in central Mizoram, was moved to a destitute home in Aizawl, after spending an additional 18 months in jail.
A team from the Centre for Environment and Social Justice, led by social activist Vanramchhuangi, also known as Ruatfela Nu, successfully secured the release of DahnNiang from Serchhip district jail, where he had been held since April 24, 2020.
They subsequently admitted him to the TNT Centre located in the Zuangtui locality of Aizawl. The TNT Centre serves as both a rehabilitation facility and a home for orphans and individuals facing mental health challenges.
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Vanramchhuangi said, ‘Since it is illegal to detain him behind bars, we facilitated his release today and relocated him to the TNT Centre, where he will await extradition.’ She further mentioned that she would be acting as DahnNiang’s local guardian until he is sent back to his native country.
Despite reaching out to both the Ministry of External Affairs and the Vietnam Embassy in Delhi, the authorities in the Serchhip district found themselves at an impasse regarding the extradition of Niang, who had entered Mizoram on foot in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Serchhip district officials were communicating with the Union home secretary, additional secretary of External Affairs, and the Vietnam embassy, but there were no positive responses from them,” Vanramchhuangi said.
The Vietnamese man was first seen in the state on March 28 when he wandered into Thekte, a village in Champhai district bordering Myanmar, but was denied entry by village authorities.
After moving around places in Champhai district and Serchhip district, he finally reached East Lungdar village in Serchhip district where he was provided with food and shelter.
As he spoke a different language, nobody knew which country he was from. So, some villagers hit upon the idea of showing him the flags of countries. He gestured he was from Vietnam when he was shown the flag of his country.
He was subsequently handed over to the Serchhipdistrict police officials, who formally arrested him and charged him under the Foreigners Act, of 1946. This offence carried a two-year imprisonment term and a Rs 2000 fine.
Unable to pay the fine, he found himself compelled to serve an additional two months. While he completed his prison term on June 4, 2022, he remained in jail for 18 additional months as authorities grappled with challenges in extraditing him.
At the time of his arrest, the villagers reached out to a Mizo lady, who worked as a missionary in Ho Chi Minh City. A WhatsApp video between the two revealed that he hails from Can Tho, a city in southern Vietnam’s Mekong Delta region.
