Ta Lai Dong Nai Prison and the indelible marks of resistance

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Not too famous, but the Ta Lai prison relic in Dong Nai has partly recreated the resilient past of the South Vietnamese during the war, making everyone admire and admire.

About Ta Lai prison in memory

Ta Lai prison is a construction built in November 1940 in the eastern forest, on the banks of the Dong Nai river of Ta Lai commune, Tan Phu district (before 1945 in Bien Hoa city), Dong Nai province , to imprison the communist party members and patriotic minds of Vietnam during the revolution. 

However, the witnesses who were imprisoned here are often referred to as Cang Ta Lai (“Stretch” calls to drive from “Camp”) or the Special Labor Camp, because the name was given to it by the French colonial government as ” Camp des travailleurs Talai ”(Ta Lai workers’ camp) to cover the eyes of the international human rights press.

It is known that in the past, Ta Lai was a sacred forest of poisonous water, with many miasma, poisonous frosts, many wild animals that ate and squeezed blood, and had a dangerous terrain almost an independent oasis. With the outside world, in a radius of 125km around that there are no people living, only rocks and dense trees, so the French colonialists chose to build Ta Lai prison with the intention of easy torture. control and hard to detect.sacred forest - the place where the old Ta Lai PrisonTa Lai used to be a sacred forest of poisonous water when it was not exploited

On an area of ​​7 to 8 acres of land, they built 3 ground houses made of wood and roofed with tiled roofs for the French mandarins and green loot soldiers to guard the prison to rest. And the detainees will have to stay in long houses made of bamboo, wood and thatched roof, each house holds between 50 and 70 people, if the number of people exceeds, another camp will be built.

Around Ta Lai prison , a barbed wire fence is surrounded to prevent prisoners from escaping. In addition, there is also a simple bamboo kitchen and clinic, but of course that is just a way to bypass the media, but no prisoners will be used.

Although it was not built in the same cruel, cruel torture as Con Dao prison , once here, everyone will suffer torture, even if they escape, it will be soon. later become “bait” for wild animals or infected to death by squeezing.

In particular, the old Ta Lai prison once held more than 400 revolutionary soldiers who were considered “dangerous” by the colonialists, for example, revolutionary Duong Quang Dong – former member of the Party Committee of Nam Ky, one of the first Communist Party border parties or historian Tran Van Giau and comrade To Ky …

Ta Lai Prison today and memorable prison escape event

As soon as the French government forced to withdraw from Vietnam in 1954, Ta Lai prison was abandoned. Combined with the harshness of nature, the upheaval of time and the devastation of the subsequent war against the US, the prison’s weak bamboo and wood facilities and leaves no trace.

Therefore, after 1975 the reunification of the country, the government brought the Xieng, Ma and some other ethnic minorities to live and reclaim the arid land of this area. Therefore, if not told through the memories of those who were lucky enough to survive, it is difficult to know how brutal this was once a place “sucking human blood”.ethnic community - the place that replaces the old Ta Lai prisonNow the ethnic community has lived here

But that does not mean that Ta Lai prison has gone into the past. Because in 2000, on the 110th anniversary of the birth of the great President Ho Chi Minh, also in this area, the district Committee of Tan Phu district built a commemorative monument marking the successful escape of Ta Lai prison. of 11 communist soldiers on the night of March 21, 1941 to return to the revolution and act as the core force to consolidate the Southern Party Committee.the place where the memorial stele is placed is the old Ta Lai prisonThe prison location has been placed with a memorial stele

This special memorial stele has an area of ​​32 m2 and is placed on a moderately high hill in a large campus with an area of ​​nearly 4,500 m2 for easy viewing. Moreover, it is also made entirely of large boulders so it is still standing there despite storms and storms.

Around the beer are shiny ceramic tiles and people often come to clean. The image of the revolutionary soldiers is exquisitely carved on a prominent bronze plate on the front. Therefore, even though the war has receded, every time we stand in front of the stele marked Ta Lai prison , our hearts are filled with pride and gratitude for the indomitable fighting spirit of our fathers. stele commemorating the success of passing Ta Lai PrisonStone stele steadfastly stalks

In particular, on March 12, 2021, the People’s Committee of Dong Nai province also decided to classify this place as a historical relic at the provincial level. This can be said to be a great way to promote meaningful historical values ​​as well as to educate the young generations of patriotism today and in the future. 

It can be said that although it does not bring too much architectural value, the humanistic value that Ta Lai prison in Dong Nai as well as other historical sites bring is great. Because it awakens the responsibility of each individual, thereby, helps us to have a motivation to strive to build and preserve every inch of land that the ancients had to use blood to protect.

Photo: Internet

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