Immediately after the cessation of hostilities, in the areas under the control of the French Union Forces including the French Expeditionary Corps and the military forces of the Ngo Dinh Diem administration, the authorities ordered their troops to shoot at the crowds of demonstrators from former resistance regions, who were hailing the return of peace: such was the case in Ngan Son, Chi Thanh, Ha Lam, Cho Duoc, Vinh Xuan, Mo Cay, etc. These incidents resulted in hundreds of casualties. After on-the-spot enquiries, the International Commission recorded, in a number of cases, violations of the Geneva Agreements against the south Viet Nam authorities.
After taking over all former V.P.A. resistance regions south of the 17th parallel, and listing former resistance members in every locality, the Ngo Dinh Diem administration put into practice a policy of reprisal and discrimination against individuals and organizations who had participated in the Resistance war.
Former resistance members and their relatives — who were to be classified afterwards as ‘illegal’ or ‘semi-legal citizens’ — were compelled to report periodically to the authorities; they were subjected to all kinds of restrictions and prohibitions in their movements, including business movements. In numerous localities such as Khanh Hoa, Go Cong, My Tho, etc., they were issued with red identity cards, as distinguished from white-card holders. In many areas such as Ninh Hoa (Khanh Hoa), the authorities put a red and blue stamp on the soles of the feet of former resistance members at sunset to check on the prints on the following morning.
People who had relatives regrouped to north Viet Nam were forced to cut off all conjugal or paternal relations with them. On December 15, 1954, Le Trung Chi, Chief of Quang Nam province, ordered all the wives of former resistance members, whether the latter were regrouped to the North or still living with their families, to report within three months to the administrative services to make applications for divorce. In implementation of this instruction, ‘divorce weeks’ were organized by the authorities in numerous localities such as the communes of Duy Trinh (Duy Xuyen district), Dien Ninh (Dien Ban district), Que Xuan, (Que Son district), etc. Divorces imposed on the wives of former resistance members were regular occurrences in south Viet Nam. Mothers were also forced to deny their children who had participated in the Resistance war. On December 15, 1954, Mrs. Nguyen Giao, at Duy Hung commune (Quang Nam province), was compelled to divorce her husband and to deny her son, both being former resistance members regrouped to the North.
Cases happened when even after his death, the body of a former resistance member was subjected to indignities and shocking violations. The families of Messrs. Dao Yen, Ngo Du and Nguyen Huan in Duy Xuyen district, Quang Nam province, were not permitted to wear mourning for them after their murder by the authorities. On account of his participation in the Resistance war the Buddhist monk Che Van Vang in Thanh Phuoc commune, Go Dau Ha district, Tay Ninh province, was refused burial for six days after his death.
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