Old couple raise 2 sons in wooden cage

(Baonghean)At the headwaters of Cha Ha stream in Hao village, Yen Hoa commune, Tuong Duong district, there is an old couple who for over 10 years have had to swallow their tears to take turns raising their two poor sons in a wooden cage.

Late at night, upstream of Cha Ha stream, the people of Hao village heard howls and wild screams like wild animals in the middle of the forest. Those creepy sounds were coming from the poor children being kept in wooden cages of Mr. and Mrs. Lo Van Toan - Luong Thi Chau's family.

Tears streaming down her wrinkled face, Mrs. Chau said: At the age of 14, she got married and went to Hao village, then gave birth to 6 children, 5 boys and 1 girl. Lo Van Keo was the first son born in 1967, in 1984 he suddenly fell ill and escaped into the deep forest. Later, Keo was found in the wild forest, naked. When he was brought back to the village, Keo used a stick to beat the villagers, forcing Mrs. Chau to ask the villagers to build a wooden cage to keep Keo in for 3 years. Then the third son, Lo Van Xanh, born in 1976, in 2001, had just gotten married for 1 day when he suddenly "disappeared". Someone hunting bees reported seeing Xanh running straight into the forest as if being chased by a ghost.



Mrs. Chau is feeding Lo Van Xanh.

It took the Hao villagers three days to find Xanh climbing a tall tree, with no clothes on, his eyes bulging, cursing and shouting. They brought Xanh home, but Xanh continued to curse, then went to the kitchen, grabbed a sharp knife and chased after anyone to slash. Seeing that it was too dangerous, Mrs. Chau had to let the villagers chase and lock Xanh in a wooden cage. At that time, Keo had recovered from his illness and did not have to stay in a wooden cage. Mrs. Chau said: "I love my son very much, but I have to lock him in a wooden cage, otherwise it will cause disaster for the villagers."

From 1988 to 2010, Mrs. Chau continuously invited shamans from all over to "khai" and "catch" the ghost that was haunting her children. Five shamans from the surrounding area were invited to come and chant "khai" and "catch" the ghost day and night, but they could not catch the ghost. Then dozens of times "khai" and "catch" the ghost to save her children, but still in vain. Each "khai" cost 3-4 pigs, not to mention the lavish chicken and wine. According to some shamans, a big ceremony is easier to "catch the ghost". The money for the ghost-catching ceremony ran out, Mrs. Chau had to borrow money from all over Hao village to Xieng Nua village to pay off the debt. In 2010, Mrs. Chau had to sell her only wooden house to pay off the debt, then build a temporary thatched hut by the Cha Ha river.

For many years, the old couple took turns taking care of their two sons in a wooden crib like taking care of a child, which was very hard. We saw that when Mrs. Chau put the sticky rice into the wooden crib, Xanh would throw the sticky rice back out. Mrs. Chau picked up the sticky rice, blew the dust off it, and then put it back in the bamboo basket. She said: “Sometimes he fasted all day, and when we put rice and food in, he threw it out. Many times it was freezing cold, we gave him clothes but he didn’t wear them. We felt so sorry for him but didn’t know what to do. In the winter, my husband and I covered the crib with palm leaves to keep it warm, and in the summer, we opened it up for coolness.”



Mrs. Chau and Mr. Lo Van Keo.

Mr. Lo Van Mon - Secretary of the Hao village Party cell said: The villagers nailed the wooden cage with 10cm nails, but sometimes Xanh still broke the cage and escaped into the deep forest. The villagers had to bring food to go into the forest to find Xanh. Mrs. Chau sadly said: All day long, she had to stay home to watch over her two sick children, the most feared thing was that Xanh would break the cage and escape into the forest, causing chaos throughout the village. At night, Xanh often had fits of vandalism and cursing.

Luckily, Ms. Chau's family received 8 million VND from Program 167, and with the help of the people, they were able to build a house. The day they moved into their new home, the couple cried tears of joy. Ms. Chau only hoped to have money to treat her child, so that Xanh would recover and be able to live in this cozy house.

Mr. Mon added: Mrs. Chau's family is in such a difficult situation that the neighbors feel sorry for her. Every day, people give her rice, cassava, and food. Recently, someone in Hoa Binh Town bought Mrs. Chau's family a TV and a DVD player. Many rainy days, Mrs. Chau's family has nothing to eat. Sometimes, the whole family and her two sick children have to eat cassava and potatoes. The burden of the family now weighs heavily on Mr. Lo Van Toan's shoulders because Mrs. Chau's eyes are getting worse. Mr. Toan has back pain and joint pain, but because he loves his wife and children, he still has to go to work to earn a living every day. The other four children are married, and their circumstances are difficult and they cannot help the family any more.

More than ever, Ms. Chau's family is in dire need of the community's help and support.

Van Truong