Man jailed in Vietnam for month as family pleads for answers

The family of a Merseyside man who was on a stag party in Vietnam thought he had disappeared – only to learn he had been jailed.

James Ryan, from Kirkby, was arrested following an incident at Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Vietnam in mid-May. Four weeks on, his family say they have had limited contact with the 29-year-old – and despite repeated requests for information from the British embassy, ​​they still do not know where he is.

James’ older brother Carl, 39, told the ECHO the family were currently facing a “nightmare situation”. He said: “My mum is in pieces and my dad is so worried. We are so stressed about what is going to happen and are extremely concerned for his well-being and safety.”

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A spokesman for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office told the ECHO: “We are in contact with local authorities following the arrest of a British national in Vietnam.” When approached with the Ryan family’s claims, the spokesperson declined to comment further.

James had originally been in Vietnam for almost two weeks, along with other people in a pranking party. However, the Ryan family claims he was arrested for allegedly stealing a bottle of aftershave, which they believe happened because James had lost his wallet and needed more money.

Carl, who said a theft would be extremely impersonal, told the ECHO the family initially had contact with James because he was allowed to keep his phone. They claim he was able to update them with voice memos on his whereabouts and told them he believed he was being held at an immigration office near the airport but believed he would only be there for three days before he then be released.

However, the family lost contact with him shortly after and believe he was taken to a police detention centre. The family filed a missing persons report on May 20 and, after hearing no updates for 10 days, were notified by the British embassy that James had been detained pending an investigation.

Although the embassy told the family that James was safe and well, the family claims the embassy said it could not tell them where he was in Vietnam due to data protection. Carl told the ECHO: “I had planned to go with my dad to find him but after hearing he was safe we ​​decided to hold off for a few days as we had no idea where he was. slow process, so last Thursday I got fed up and said we have to go, because the embassy kept giving us the same game.”

With the embassy in another part of Vietnam, Carl and his father Eddie visited a British consulate, but were again told they could not share James’ location due to data protection. Carl said they took James’ birth certificate with them to prove they were related, but were told British officials were yet to visit James to confirm he was happy his location was being shared.

Carl and his father said that after receiving no answers about James’ whereabouts, they visited a number of detention centers themselves, but to no avail. Carl said: “They all said nothing but the language barrier was very difficult. We emailed about 10 lawyers and asked them if they could help us by coming with us to translate, but we didn’t hear back.

“I spoke to the embassy again and asked when they would go to see him. They said the process takes about two or three weeks. We got back from Vietnam yesterday afternoon and we finally had contact – they said they will see you on June 18.

“Now we just have to wait for them to go and see him. After that we’ll have to go back. We just don’t know what’s going to happen. I heard he might be released on bail, but they’d take his passport from he could face a 12-month sentence.”

As the family faces the unknown, Carl said both parents have taken some of their pensions to make sure they can get some answers. They’ve also set up a GoFundMe page to help fund trips back to East Asia when the time comes.

Carl added: “We are all exhausted. I feel like I haven’t slept in about a week. I have my own partner and three children to worry about. But it’s almost a month and I still haven’t heard anything. one thing We get so many messages from people who are worried about him.

“It’s his birthday on July 2 – we don’t even know where he’ll be turning 30. The embassy was terrible, but we have to keep trying. We are currently stuck in limbo waiting for information on how to get it. The home.”

To donate to the Ryan family fundraiser to help them return to Vietnam click here.

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