Commune military commander: "I did not know the abandoned child was my daughter"

The mother suffered from severe depression.

More than a month has passed, but Ms. Phan Thi Hong (residing in Son Tay commune, Huong Son district, mother of Mr. NTH, Military Commander of this commune) is still in shock after her newborn grandchild was abandoned by her daughter-in-law near a sewer on the morning of January 11.

"I am even more heartbroken when public opinion says that my son, the commune military commander, abandoned his newborn daughter on the street, near a sewer. That is not how it happened...", Ms. Hong said.

Ms. Hong said that at 10:00 a.m. on January 11, while she was sitting drinking tea at her neighbor's house, she heard the sound of a baby crying on the road in front of her house.

"I was scared and called the neighbors to come and see and told H. (the child's mother) to hold the child for a while or he would die, but my daughter-in-law said 'so scared, so scared'. Then I carried the baby into the house and reported to the authorities, taking him to the commune health station for care," said Ms. Hong.

The child's grandmother said that the whole family had no idea that their daughter-in-law was pregnant for 9 months until they held the DNA test results in their hands confirming that the child was their bloodline.

According to Ms. Hong, her daughter-in-law suffers from depression and is currently being treated at a mental hospital.

"I saw my daughter-in-law's belly getting bigger, but when I asked her, she denied it, said it wasn't true and said I was too talkative. I also thought it was because she was sick and took herbal medicine, causing her stomach to swell up like that, but I never expected her to get pregnant, give birth and then leave the baby there," Ms. Hong said.

"Last year, after a small conflict with a neighbor, the daughter-in-law was hit in the head by a rock, lost consciousness, and had to be hospitalized for several months. Since then, her temper has been erratic, she often complains of headaches and is lethargic. But because the neighbor came to the house and begged, she let them resolve the matter civilly, and couldn't bear to send anyone to jail.

When I discovered the child, I asked my daughter-in-law but she insisted it was not hers. Moreover, after giving birth, my daughter-in-law still went to the market to sell bananas, plowed, and rode a motorbike... so I didn't expect that. Many people didn't understand the situation and thought that my son had the heart to abandon the child," Ms. Hong said sadly.

"I'm so depressed"

Mr. NTH, Military Commander of Son Tay Commune, said: "For many nights I have not been able to sleep, because my tears have dried up, I have collapsed and feel extremely resentful. I turned off my phone to avoid going online to read information, but then I was curious and opened it to see what they said about me.

There are too many bitter comments, saying that I abandoned my child, but I don't know how to explain to them the family's feelings."

Mr. NTH recounted: "Before that, I saw my wife's big belly but when I asked her, she kept denying it, partly because she trusted her too much. I even told her to go to the doctor, in case she had a tumor inside her body, but she refused to go.

The day the incident happened, I had just gone to pick up a soldier who had been discharged from the army. I returned home around 11am. The villagers suspected that it was my child, so I panicked and ran to the infirmary to check and saw that the child looked a lot like me.

I went home to ask my wife but she kept saying it wasn't true. I wanted to restore our innocence and planned to wait until the next morning to take my wife to the doctor to get the results."

The next day, Mr. H. waited for his wife to come home from selling goods so he could take her to the doctor, but he called her many times without success. In the evening, his wife texted him back: "I'm not coming back. Don't call me, I won't answer the phone. The child at the clinic is yours, take it home and raise it. As for the motorbike I left behind the market, go down there and cut the key and take the motorbike home."

"When I received the message, my legs were unsteady, shaking with fear and pain. I didn't expect it to be my child, who was given birth to and abandoned by my wife. I cried. The next morning I went to the commune to report the incident. Later, the DNA test also confirmed that the child was of the same bloodline as me," said Mr. H.

Mr. H. said that although he had defended himself, he could not prove his innocence because his wife was currently undergoing psychiatric treatment.

"My wife is depressed and currently psychotic. Everything I said is completely true. I am not afraid of being disciplined or fired. If I am fired, I will find another job to earn money to raise my children. I am only afraid of violating my moral conscience. I do not blame people for commenting because they do not understand the inside story," said Mr. H.

According to Vietnamnet