Comrade Pham The (1911-2004)
Comrade Pham The was born in 1911 in Nhuong Ban commune (now Cam Nhuong commune), Cam Xuyen district, Ha Tinh province. Growing up in a land rich in historical and cultural traditions, Comrade Pham The soon had in him a spirit of patriotism and sympathy for the lives of oppressed and exploited peasants.
At the age of 5, comrade Pham The Hoc began to study Chinese characters by his family. In 1921, he continued to study Vietnamese and French. Being intelligent, he passed the primary school and completed the second year of the French-Vietnamese primary school in Ha Tinh town.
During this period, in Ha Tinh province, a movement was rising to demand that the French colonialists release the patriot Phan Boi Chau and organize a memorial service for Phan Chu Trinh. As a young man with progressive patriotic thoughts, comrade Pham The quickly participated in those vibrant political struggles. Because of his patriotic activities, in 1927, comrade Pham The was imprisoned by the French colonialists for about a month.
In November 1928, introduced by comrades Le Ba Canh and Nguyen Huy Lung, comrade Pham The was admitted to the Tan Viet Party. To build a base, taking advantage of his summer vacation, comrade Pham The returned to his hometown and contacted a number of young people with progressive patriotic spirit in the locality. In June 1928, the Tan Viet Nhuong Ban subgroup(1)was established. Under the active activities of comrade Pham The and his comrades in the sub-group, the work of propagating and enlightening the people's national consciousness through patriotic literature and poetry, and classes on the national language was constantly promoted, creating the premise for the development of patriotic mass organizations later.
At the end of 1929, comrade Pham The joined the Indochinese Communist Party cell at the French-Vietnamese Primary School in Ha Tinh town, with comrade Le Ba Canh as Secretary. In March 1930, after comrade Le Ba Canh was arrested by French secret police, comrade Pham The was appointed Secretary of the Indochinese Communist Party cell at the French-Vietnamese Primary School, and concurrently Secretary of the General Student Association of Ha Tinh province.
In the general fighting atmosphere of the whole province, under the direction of the Ha Tinh Provisional Provincial Party Committee, the Nhuong Ban Commune Party Cell was established on June 30, 1930. With his prestige, comrade Pham The was elected as Party Cell Secretary. In his new position, comrade Pham The led the Party Cell to promote propaganda work, enlighten the people and build mass organizations to prepare all conditions for the struggle.
Implementing the announcement of the Ha Tinh Provisional Provincial Party Committee on launching the struggle to celebrate the day against imperialist war (August 1), comrade Pham The directed the Party cell to urgently carry out the preparation work. He was also the person who directly carried out the work of writing and printing leaflets at Mr. Pham Thien's house. After the leaflets were printed, comrade Pham The assigned them to Party members and the masses who sympathized with the Party to distribute them. By the evening of July 31, 1930, leaflets calling on people to rise up and fight in response to August 1 were flying all over the streets, making the people extremely excited, further strengthening their trust in the Party organization.
In September 1930, comrade Pham The was elected to the provisional Executive Committee of Cam Xuyen District. In harmony with the struggle movement of the province and the whole district, comrade Pham The directed the Party cell to conduct propaganda and mobilize the people of Nhuong Ban. On the evening of September 8, 1930, the Party cell organized a large demonstration at Hom market. Following the drum beat, people from all directions came to the gathering point. After listening to the instructions and speeches of the Party members, the masses organized their ranks and prepared for the demonstration. Early in the morning of September 9, 1930, under the leadership of comrade Pham The, Tran Huu Chuong, Pham Truyen, ... more than 500 people of Nhuong Ban commune coordinated with the communes east of Van Tan commune to march to Ha Tinh town to fight. When the group arrived at Quan Kho, Phuong Due village(2)The guards sent soldiers to suppress the demonstration. Faced with the proud spirit of the group, waving flags and advancing, the enemy, after firing warning shots into the air, opened fire on the group. To limit further losses, the Party cell instructed the protesters to temporarily disperse.
Faced with the strong development of the revolutionary movement in Nhuong Ban, the French colonialists and their henchmen mobilized many groups of armed soldiers to the village with the purpose of terrorizing and hunting down comrade Pham The and other party members and patriotic people. On September 24, 1930, comrade Pham The was captured by the enemy. Prison and torture could not subdue the will of communist Pham The, so the Nam Trieu Court of Ha Tinh province sentenced him to 13 years in exile and confiscated all of his family's assets. In early January 1931, comrade Pham The was exiled to Kon Tum prison by the French colonialists.
Kon Tum prison was a place set up by the enemy to detain and separate political prisoners from their working environment, to take advantage of the political prisoners' strength to continue the construction of Highway 14 (from Dak Sut to Dak Pek) and especially to take advantage of the terrain of the wild forest and poisonous water to gradually destroy the communist soldiers. However, those difficulties did not discourage the communist prisoners here, including comrade Pham The. They united and bravely stood up to fight for their rights and to improve their living environment. Comrade Pham The participated in many struggles of political prisoners in Kon Tum prison, typically the struggle to protest the second arrest of political prisoners to Dak Pet. On the morning of December 12, 1931, the prison warden and his henchmen divided the prisoners into groups to continue to take them to the Dak Pao and Dak Pet construction sites. Having prepared in advance, comrade Pham The and his fellow political prisoners ran straight into the prison cell, shouting slogans of struggle. Faced with such fierce resistance, the French Consul and Warden ordered soldiers to surround the prison. Undaunted, the comrades unanimously tightened their ranks and stood in front of the prison door, continuing to shout the slogan: "Protest, go to Dak Pet". Under the order of the Consul, the soldiers simultaneously opened fire on the comrades, killing seven people on the spot. Comrade Pham The and six other comrades were injured.
After the Bloody Struggle on December 12, 1931, the enemy identified comrade Pham The as one of the leaders of the struggle, and they increased his sentence from 13 years in prison to life in exile at Lao Bao Prison.
On March 8, 1932, comrade Pham The was transferred to Lao Bao Prison.
In December 1936, comrade Pham The continued to be sent to Buon Ma Thuot Prison.
In September 1939, comrade Pham The was released.
Thus, within 9 years (1930-1939), comrade Pham The went through 4 prisons: Ha Tinh, Kontum, Lao Bao, Buon Ma Thuot. No matter what environment he was in, comrade Pham The always upheld the qualities, steadfastness, and indomitability of a son of the heroic Soviet homeland, ready to stand side by side with his political prisoners to turn the imperialist prisons into revolutionary schools.
In August 1945, implementing the policy of the Nghe Tinh Inter-Provincial Viet Minh Conference, the secret conference established the Nam Ha sub-region Viet Minh.(3)was summoned to comrade Pham The's house. With his prestige, comrade Pham The was elected to the Standing Committee of Viet Minh Nam Ha, assigned to be in charge of Cam Xuyen district.
Then, in response to the new changes and demands of history, on August 13, 1945, the Nam Ha Viet Minh held a meeting in Nhuong Ban and decided to establish the Nam Ha Uprising Committee to promote the leadership of the local people in preparation for the struggle to seize power. Comrade Pham The continued to be elected as one of the members of the Committee. Under the leadership of the Nam Ha Uprising Committee, the people of Can Loc, Thach Ha, Cam Xuyen, Ky Anh districts and Ha Tinh town enthusiastically rose up, contributing to the victory of the August Revolution in the whole province.
With an important role in the revolutionary movement, in April 1946, comrade Pham The was elected to hold the position of Provincial Party Secretary and Chairman of the Viet Minh of Ha Tinh province.
In May 1947, comrade Pham The was assigned by the Inter-Zone IV Party Committee to work in the Personnel Organization and as the temporary Chief of Office of the Regional Party Committee.(4).
In July 1949, at the Party Congress of Zone IV, comrade Pham The was elected to hold the position of Deputy Secretary, in charge of personnel organization of the Zone Party Committee.
At the end of 1953, comrade Pham The was sent to study at Nguyen Ai Quoc II School and then became Deputy Director of Nguyen Ai Quoc I School.
From August 1960 to November 1964, comrade Pham The transferred to work at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, serving as Consulate General of Vietnam in the Republic of Indonesia.
In December 1964, comrade Pham The transferred to work at the Party Central Committee's Foreign Affairs Department until his retirement in January 1976.
Having joined the revolution early, comrade Pham The was a shining example of patriotism, fighting spirit, and willingness to sacrifice for the independence and freedom of the Fatherland, and for the happiness of the people. With his contributions, comrade Pham The was recognized by the Party and the State, and awarded many noble prizes, including the First Class Independence Medal, etc.
Note:
(1) Including 6 comrades: Pham The, Pham Truyen, Ton Sy Khue, Pham Thien, Hoang Ngoc Oanh and Nguyen Tam Huong.
(2) Now belongs to Can Thanh commune, Cam Xuyen district, Ha Tinh province
(3) including: Can Loc, Thach Ha, Cam Xuyen, Ky Anh districts and Ha Tinh town
(4) At that time, the newly established Inter-Zone IV Provisional Party Committee had 3 comrades: Hoang Quoc Viet (Secretary), Ho Tung Mau (Chairman of the Regional Committee), and Hoang Van Hoan (Standing Member).
References:
- History of Cam Xuyen District Party Committee.
- History of Cam Nhuong Commune Party Committee.
- Memoirs and documents provided by comrade Pham The's relatives.