Tet "reunion" in Detention Camp

Warm meal

Every year around December 24 and 25, Nghe An Provincial Police Detention Center organizes an early New Year's Eve meal for prisoners serving their sentences there. The kitchen of Nghe An Provincial Police Detention Center is busier than usual these days.

The inmates were all excited to participate in cooking and cutting cakes to prepare for the New Year’s Eve meal. In the hall, peach blossom branches were also decorated and flashing lights were installed to make the atmosphere more cozy.

Prisoners decorate peach blossoms to prepare for Tet. Photo: Pham Bang

These are the efforts of the Board of Supervisors, officers and soldiers of the unit for the prisoners, in addition to the prescribed Tet meal. This year, 122 prisoners were able to attend the special meal with a standard food ration 5 times higher than normal days.

The New Year's Eve meal in the Detention Camp is still full of Tet flavors, with banh chung, jellied meat, fish, green vegetables, pickled onions... All are prepared by the hands of the prisoners with many available food ingredients in the camp, the result of the prisoners' labor during their time serving their sentences here.

Everything was done, 122 prisoners lined up in orderly rows and entered the dining room to the sound of spring songs. They happily ate and chatted in a warm, friendly atmosphere that helped ease their homesickness and their longing for their loved ones.

At this moment, perhaps, they all thought about their families, their wives and children, their elderly parents, about the mistakes, the sorrows, the gains and losses that they had caused to themselves, their families, and society. The New Year's Eve dinner suddenly became tearful...

Prisoners gathered around the New Year's Eve dinner table, like a family, chatting happily to ease the longing for their loved ones as the traditional Tet holiday approached. Photo: Pham Bang

Lieutenant Colonel Dinh Trong Dung - Warden of Nghe An Provincial Police Detention Center said that these prisoners are here to pay the sentence that the law has given them for their crimes, but they are also human, have normal feelings, miss their home and their loved ones, especially during Tet and Spring.

"The meal is the heart of the prison officers, and also to encourage prisoners to continue to strive in reform and work to have their sentences reduced and soon return to their families and society," said Lieutenant Colonel Dinh Trong Dung.

Better motivation for improvement

Lieutenant Colonel Dinh Trong Dung - Warden of the Provincial Police Detention Center, came to each table, asked about the health of each prisoner, and wished them a warm and happy meal. Photo: Pham Bang

Since the 28th of Tet, the prisoners have been on leave. Some clean, some decorate peach blossoms, some take care of and water the budding flower bushes, some wrap banh chung...

While watering the plants, prisoner Nguyen Van T. (resident of Quy Hop district) who is serving a sentence for “Gambling” said that this was the first time he celebrated Tet in Nghe An Provincial Police Detention Center. The man with two-colored hair shed tears while eating his first New Year’s Eve meal away from his family.

“On Tet holiday, people gather with their families, but I have to go to serve my sentence. It's very painful, but I get to have a New Year's Eve meal, and receive a lot of care and encouragement from the Board of Supervisors and prison officers, so I feel less homesick,” prisoner T. confided.

To freshen the air in the camp, the prisoners planted a lot of flowers. Photo: Pham Bang

While wrapping banh chung, prisoner Le Tuan G. (born in 1969, from Yen Thanh district, Nghe An) said that this was the second year he celebrated Tet in the Detention Center. Mr. G. was sentenced to 36 months in prison for “violating regulations on road traffic control”.

“I miss my wife and children so much during Tet. This Tet without my husband and father, I don’t know if she can buy the children new clothes, or if the three of us can have a full Tet. Now I can only try to reform myself and never reoffend so that I can return to my wife and children soon,” G. said.

According to prison officers, during Tet, everyone wants to be with their families. In this situation, inmates also need attention and encouragement because they also have very human feelings. Therefore, officers must encourage and care more to make them more steadfast and secure in their work and rehabilitation.

The detention camp also organized for prisoners to wrap banh chung to recall beautiful memories as if they were with their families. Photo: Pham Bang

To promptly encourage and relieve the psychology of the inmates, the Camp also prepared more than 200kg of candy and cakes. On New Year's Eve, the comrades in the Board of Supervisors, wardens, and managers of sub-camps and buildings were assigned to each cell to give out banh chung, candy and cakes and wish a happy new year. During the Tet holidays, the Detention Camp will organize cultural and sports exchanges to help inmates ease their homesickness.

The atmosphere of Tet is approaching every cell. Prisoners look forward to Tet because, with each passing Tet, their sentence is shortened, which means the day they return to their families and loved ones is closer.