A heartbreaking story on the summit of Pà Khốm

From the kind-hearted teacher of the village

We met Tho Pa Sau (born in 1975, residing in Tri Le commune, Que Phong district).In the final months of 2013, when Sau was teaching at the remote Pà Khốm branch of Tri Lễ 2 Primary School in Tri Lễ commune, an area inhabited entirely by the Mong ethnic minority, Thò Pạ Sáu was small, thin, and had a simple, rustic mountain air. We were impressed by this teacher because when we first met him, he was tending a large bonfire near the classrooms and bringing out students who lacked warm clothing to warm themselves.

This image later became known to many charitable organizations and individuals, who provided support to the Hmong students studying at the remote Pà Khốm school, giving them warm clothes, books, and shoes to wear to school. At that time, Pạ Sáu was a shining example for the community, because Pạ Sáu was also a descendant of the Hmong people, living in a struggling family in one of the most difficult mountainous areas of Nghe An province at that time.

Therefore, Pa Sau always shows love and affection for her students, the children of the Mong ethnic group. Pa Sau knows how to overcome all difficulties to pursue education, hoping to brighten her own future as well as bring honor to the Mong people in the Tri Le highlands.

Thò Pạ Sáu always loved his students very much. Photo: Xuân Hòa

Thò Pạ Sáu was born into a large family in Mường Lống village, Tri Lễ commune, Quế Phong district. Prior to Pạ Sáu, his older brother had already been involved in the drug trade and received the harshest penalty under the law.

In the 1990s, when Pa Sau was still a student, the journey from the border commune of Tri Le to the center of Que Phong district was truly arduous, requiring navigating the legendary Bu Chong Cha slopes. Not to mention the Muong Long village, which was even more remote, with its red slope that remains a haunting memory for anyone who traveled this route to reach the Mong villages in Tri Le commune.

It seemed as though this would cut short Pa Sau's dream of pursuing education. But fortunately, with the support of the local community and his family, Pa Sau was determined to build his future through his education. In 1999, after diligently completing a basic teacher training course, Pa Sau was assigned to teach in his hometown, Muong Long village, at Tri Le 4 Primary School in Tri Le commune. At that time, Pa Sau was one of the very few children of the Mong ethnic group in Tri Le commune who pursued education to become teachers, making him a shining example for many families to follow for their children. His passion for the profession and his love for his students, who were also children of the Mong ethnic group, earned him even more trust and affection from the local community.

For the Hmong people in Tri Le commune, Que Phong district, Tho Pa Sau was a role model for them to follow for many years. Photo: Xuan Hoa

After teaching for a few years, Sau married a local woman and had a child. His excellent teaching skills led to him being sent to study at the Nghe An Teacher Training College. However, life took a turn for the worse when his wife, unable to wait for his return from his studies, married another man. Abandoned by the woman he had shared his life with, and with most of his siblings having emigrated to Laos for work, Sau did not give up but instead became even more determined to excel in his studies.

After returning to his hometown, Sáu was transferred to teach at Tri Lễ 2 Primary School. There, he continued to teach at the remote Pà Khốm village – a place perpetually shrouded in fog, where the biting cold was the greatest torment for the young Hmong students who lacked food and clothing. During such times, Sáu would light fires around the classroom and contact friends and acquaintances to ask for warm clothes for the poor students there.

To the drug dealer

On the afternoon of April 22, 2018, the people of Pa Khom were shocked to hear that Pa Sau had been arrested for drug trafficking. According to the indictment, at around 2 PM that day, Pa Sau received a phone call from Tua (a Laotian national) asking him to accompany him to Chau Thon commune, Que Phong district. Sau arrived at the meeting point and was paid $400 by Tua to carry the drugs down to Chau Thon commune.

At 6 PM that same day, upon receiving Tua's order, Pa Sau approached the passenger bus carrying a sack of drugs to buy the goods when the police swooped in and arrested him on the spot. Tua quickly fled into the forest, and the passenger bus sped away. The police arrested Pa Sau along with the evidence: 7 kg of heroin and synthetic drugs.

Thò Pạ Sáu was sentenced to death for drug trafficking. Photo: Xuân Hòa

In September 2018, Thò Pạ Sáu's drug trafficking case went to trial. His colleagues were present at the trial. His wife, who was not legally married to him, also brought their infant child, just over four months old, to the courtroom. The child was born more than a month after Sáu's arrest. The father and child had never met.

When appearing in court, Pa Sau himself maintained that he was not guilty of drug trafficking, but only acted as an interpreter for Tua because Tua did not know the language and therefore could not earn a fee. Pa Sau's face remained calm throughout the trial, occasionally turning to look at his young child below, whose face he had never clearly seen. Looking at his colleagues, Pa Sau's eyes seemed to want to explain something, but it was difficult to put into words. Although Pa Sau refused to plead guilty to drug trafficking, with clear evidence, the panel of judges determined that the quantity of drugs Pa Sau was involved in was very large, the crime was exceptionally serious… and sentenced the defendant to death.

Instead of his initial composure, Pa Sau turned to look at his wife, children, and colleagues. Then, when Pa Sau's wife tried to bring up the child he had never seen, but was prevented from doing so, Pa Sau, with his hands still covered by the gleaming handcuffs, covered his face and wept as he walked to the vehicle to be taken away.

Now, Thò Pạ Sáu will be absent from the summit of Pà Khốm, and the example he once set has been obscured by the devastating effects of drug abuse. Photo: Xuân Hòa

“I was in the same elementary school class as Sau and taught with him for many years at Tri Le 4 Primary School, and then we taught together at Pa Khom, but I never thought Sau would dare to get involved in drug trafficking. Sau was gentle, quiet, cared deeply for his students, and was also friendly with his colleagues. And yet…,” said Mr. Luong Trung Thanh, a colleague who taught with Sau at the Pa Khom branch of Tri Le 2 Primary School, Tri Le commune, Que Phong district, with a heavy heart.

The hands that once held chalk, the hands that guided the children of the Hmong ethnic group towards literacy, the hands that warmed poor students in the cold, have now been stained black by the greed of money. If Pa Sau had thought more rationally, as he had in the face of so many previous family misfortunes, perhaps he would still be a shining star on the summit of Pa Khom for the Hmong people of Tri Le to look up to… But now, it is all too late.

Leaving the courtroom, many were deeply saddened by the heartbreaking separation of Pạ Sáu and his wife, and father and son. The image of the teacher kindling a fire to warm his students kept flickering before their eyes, further evoking feelings of remorse and regret for Thò Pạ Sáu's past mistakes.

Xuan Hoa