Department of Salt

Tuesday - 19/07/2022 18:56

The Department of Salt was one of 18 departments of prisons where forced labor was implemented during the French colonial period. This was the place where prisoners were imprisoned, exiled and had to do forced labor to make salt for the whole island. During peak hours, there were about 600 prisoners participating in salt making.

In 1940, Comrade Le Hong Phong was sentenced to forced labor and was confined in the cell of the Department of Salt.

Under the former South government, in 1970, after the French Tiger Cage was discovered, the enemy transferred nearly 200 prisoners, all of whom were paralyzed, to the Department of Salt for detention. Prisoners had to endure forced labor and live in extreme conditions there: they were not allowed to eat fish and meat, and had to crawl to find wild vegetables to eat; they had to cover their faces at night because of the fierce sand winds.... Being in exile, prisoners organized a fight with banners to demand livelihoods and democracy, force the enemy to give in to their demands and transfer paralyzed prisoners to detain at the Cowshed. The struggle of the prisoners at the Department of Salt paved the way for the General Uprising (Dong Khoi) in August 1970 of Con Dao prisoners.

Source: Department of Culture and Sport of Ba Ria-Vung Tau Provice, Photo: Internet