Houston protester arrested in Vietnam confesses to 'wrong-doing' TV
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- The Houston man who was arrested in Vietnam earlier this month, has now reportedly confessed on state TV to wrong-doing during protests.
ABC13 Elissa Rivas spoke with 32-year-old Will Nguyen's family, who described the Houstonian as a well-educated and passionate activist.
Nguyen was a Yale alum who was currently studying public policy in Singapore. His sister, Victoria Nguyen, said he was on vacation and making a stop in Vietnam, when he decided to take part in a protest there.
However, on June 10, it seems things took a different turn for her brother who was apparently beat up and taken to jail. The family is still not sure why.
On Monday, a clip of Nguyen surfaced on state TV, showing him speaking in Vietnamese and reportedly apologizing for causing a disruption to public order.
"He looked, what I think we saw, was hallow. In the confession video, he didn't look like himself at all. Didn't sound like him. He sounded very exhausted, like he'd been coached and coerced," Victoria said.
Eyewitness News has requested information from the State Department about this case, but have not heard back.
Meantime, Victoria said she is receiving a show of support for her brother from more than a dozen lawmakers. She says she hopes to bring pressure to the U.S. government to move more quickly and aggressively on her brother's behalf.
RELATED: Will Nguyen remains missing after his arrest during protest in Vietnam, family says
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