Dongnai solemnly celebrates the 51st anniversary of Tan Hiep Jail Rebel (December 2 1956 – December 2 2006)

Tan Hiep Memorial Statue

During the war time, Tan Hiep Jail (also called Tan Hiep Correction Center) is one of the six biggest jails in Vietnam and the biggest one in southeastern region located in an important military position blocking the entrance to northeast region of Bien Hoa town. In front of it is National Road No. 1 and behind it is North-South rail road. Its location is isolated. It has a convenient transport system and it is easy to protect, guard, and receive prisoners from other places and to transfer prisoners to Con Dao, Phu Quoc. Tan Hiep jail has the total area of 46,520 square meters with 8 stockades including 5 stockades used for imprisoning patriotic communist prisoners. Surrounding the jail are 4 layers of barbed wire with blockhouses, 3 watchtowers and modern alarm system.  

Provincial leaders laid wreaths at the statue.

It was called “Correction Center” but in fact it was gun storage, interrogation rooms, torture rooms equipped with modern tools and devices. Each stockade had he total area of 200 square meters but always sheltered from 300 to 400 prisoners, sometime a thousand. Particularly, there were “remorse” rooms, “tiger house” which were small and had extremely poor living conditions. They were like cremating places. Prisoners’ regimen was extremely unhygienic. Wader used rotten rice, rotten fish fried with lubricant. As a result, many prisoners had been poisoned.

Former political prisoners at the ceremony.

Having determination to escape from the jail to reunite with Party, people so as to keep on fighting against invaders to liberate our country and receiving the permission from inter-provincial Party Committee of Southeastern region, on December 2 1956 communist soldiers led by Mr. Nguyen Trong Tam (with the alias of Bay Tam), who was the head of Party Cell in Tan Hiep jail, had revolted against the warders and liberated over 500 patriotic communists and people. This event shook the Pentagon. Immediately, Diem government had mobilized main force and civil guard and militia who were guarding the 3 provinces of Bien Hoa, Ba Ria and Thu Dau Mot and special task force troops to pursue and capture these escapees but all the campaigns were in vain. With the help of local people and units, all these escapees safely returned to their military bases. These escapees such as Bay Tam, Hai Thong, Ly Van Sam afterwards became the core official of Dong Khoi movement.

(Translated by THKC)