From August 25 to 27, 1945, that son, together with the Southwest Party Committee, led the people of the Mekong Delta to seize power in each locality without shedding a drop of blood.
Mr. Nguyen Thanh Son (1910 – 1996)
Photo: Khai Mong took it
In his memoirs Following Uncle Ho for Life (Tre Publishing House, 2005), Nguyen Thanh Son recounted that not only did he take care of the Western provinces, he and his comrades also directly contributed to the seizure of power in Saigon - Cho Lon by assigning each province to send hundreds of shock troops to Saigon to coordinate.
“On August 25, 1945, Tran Van Giau and I led a demonstration of the Saigon-Cho Lon masses through the main streets and stopped in front of Xa Tay Palace (now the headquarters of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee),” Nguyen Thanh Son wrote in his memoirs: “Here, Pham Ngoc Thach loudly announced that the government had returned to the people. Next, he announced the list of the Provisional Administrative Committee of the South (often referred to as the Provisional Committee of the South) consisting of 9 people, chaired by Tran Van Giau. I was a member of the Provisional Committee and the Political Inspector of the Southwest region.”
Winning power is difficult, maintaining power is even more difficult. Therefore, the urgent task immediately after that was to quickly perfect the revolutionary government at the provincial level, bringing about a broad union of people from all walks of life. Mr. Nguyen Thanh Son and the provincial Party Committees selected representative members from all levels, sectors, parties, and religions in the province to participate in the provisional administrative committee. After that, each province held a solemn ceremony to introduce the administrative committee in front of a large crowd. Within just one week, with the close and harmonious coordination of the Party Committees of 11 Mekong Delta provinces, he completed the mission of organizing revolutionary governments in all provinces.
Express card issued by the Military Commission to Mr. Nguyen Thanh Son (1946)
Photo: Khai Mong took it
In his memoirs he recounted:
“There was a memorable event when I decided to release all prisoners in Can Tho prison right after the establishment of the new government. In front of the crowd gathered right at Can Tho prison, I declared:
– Implementing the humanitarian policy of the Viet Minh Front and the revolutionary government, released prisoners should return home to reunite with their families, live and work honestly according to human ethics. If they return to the path of corruption, the first time they will be warned by the local People's Court, and for the second time they will be sentenced to death and executed on the spot.
The former Chief Justice of the Can Tho Government, Tran Van Lieu, had previously dissuaded me, fearing that I could not maintain social order. I invited him to attend the prisoner release ceremony. When I met him some time later, he said:
– The revolution is truly extraordinary. For the past few months, no house has had to close its doors, there has been no theft on the streets, no gambling, no drinking, no prostitution.”
In September 1945, the French colonialists returned to provoke the South. The Southern Resistance Committee was established. Mr. Nguyen Thanh Son also held the position of Military Commissioner - Southern Resistance Committee.
Three months later, in the new situation, the Government established the Southern Vietnam Resistance Committee, dividing the South into three war zones 7, 8, and 9. The leadership of the Southern Resistance Committee was elected, including: Cao Hong Lanh - Chairman; Ton Duc Thang - Head of Logistics; Tran Ngoc Danh - Head of Politics; Dam Minh Vien - Head of Staff; Nguyen Binh as Head of Zone 7; Dao Van Truong as Head of Zone 8. The Ministry of National Defense appointed Mr. Vu Duc (aka Hoang Dinh Giong) from the North to be Head of Zone 9. While Mr. Vu Duc was on his way from the North to the South, Mr. Nguyen Thanh Son was acting Head of Zone 9. The command post of Zone 9 was located in Long My (present-day Kien Giang).
In just a short time, in the early days of the newly successful revolution, Regional Party Committee member Nguyen Thanh Son was directly in charge of all aspects of Party, government, military, police and Front work in 11 provinces in the Southwest. With the people's trust, he was elected as a delegate to the 1st National Assembly of Tra Vinh province (1946) and became a delegate to the National Assembly for 5 consecutive terms (1946 - 1976). Faced with the difficulties of the Southern people when the French colonialists returned to reoccupy, Mr. Nguyen Thanh Son and a delegation of Southern cadres boarded a boat to Hanoi to report the situation and ask for instructions from the Party Central Committee and President Ho Chi Minh. (to be continued)
Mr. Nguyen Thanh Son (1910 – 1996), birth name Nguyen Van Tay, hometown Tra Ngoa hamlet, Tra Con commune, Tra On district, Vinh Long province. He served as Commander and Political Commissar of the Vietnamese volunteer army in Cambodia (1950 – 1954); Party Secretary – First Deputy Minister of Finance (1957 – 1975)…
Thanhnien.vn
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/nguyen-thanh-son-bao-ve-chinh-quyen-cach-mang-non-tre-o-mien-tay-nam-bo-185240825221621532.htm
Comment (0)