1973 Quenmin Uprisings
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| 1973 Quenmin Uprisings | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Quenminese democracy movement in the 1970s | |||
 A soldier from the 34th Infantry Division in Phí Chiêu Minh Street in Đà Nẵng after the military crackdown, 3 July | |||
| Date | 18 June – 5 July 1973 (2 weeks and 3 days) | ||
| Location | |||
| Caused by | Political corruption, authoritarianism, economic recession, inflation, ineffective political and economic reforms, discrimination | ||
| Goals | Ending political corruption, democratization, political and economic reforms, freedom of the press, freedom of speech | ||
| Methods | Demonstration, sit-in, civil disobedience, hunger strike, widespread riots, firefights, looting | ||
| Resulted in |
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| Parties to the civil conflict | |||
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| Lead figures | |||
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| Casualties | |||
| Death(s) | ≈3,000 | ||
| Injuries | ≈7,500 | ||
| Arrested | 13,594 | ||
| Charged | 6,392 | ||
The 1973 Quenmin Uprisings, also known as the ’73 Democracy Movement, the 1973 Riots and the Civil Perturbations of Summer 1973, were a series of demonstrations and later riots that occurred in the cities of Kontin, Đà Nẵng, Bích Nguyệt, Cao Khoát, Quyền Bính Tông City and other smaller towns in Quenmin from 18 June to 5 July 1973. It later became known as Bloody Sunday Massacres to recognize the lethal force applied in areas where significant demonstrations were held on Sunday, 2 July, particularly that of Kontin, Cao Khoát and Đà Nẵng; colloquially, the Uprisings were also called 7/2 Rising, accounting the crackdowns that followed.
The Uprisings were instigated by a demonstration in Kontin that sparked on 14 June to address and confront the embezzlement of university funds by the Kontin Municipal Council. Consequently, more protests sprung out of Đà Nẵng, Bích Nguyệt, Cao Khoát and Quyền Bính Tông City in the span of three days once news from Kontin spread. Other factors that fueled the movement include the ongoing corruption among government officials and Assembly members, ineffective reforms and the current looming economic recession. Overtime, the demonstrations increasingly grew in numbers in the five cities, all of them lead by university students, politicians from the Sự Lệch Lạc parties and disgruntled workers. Goals varied among the demonstrators, although the ones that were pursued among them were ending political corruption, democratization, political and economic reforms, and the promotion of freedom of speech and freedom of the press.
By 22 June, after failures from the government to consistently and willfully heed to their calls, the protesters resorted to sit-ins at public places (e.g., parks, streets, plazas), civil disobedience and hunger strikes, which attracted more participants. On 25 June, the protests escalated into increasingly violent clashes between the protesters and police. Two particular incidents that garnered notice from the government where in Quyền Bính Tông City where Töbedars demonstrators harassed and attacked Biểc businessmen and police, and in Kontin where a beating of police officer by demonstrators and students occurred. Trepidation of political instability and a communist revolution resonated and Đỗ Kim Ngữ, at the behest of Emperor Ngày Mừng and the government, ordered RIQGF commanders of the Capital City High Command and the 5th, 6th, 8th and 10th Military Regions to send units to the cities to restore order alongside the police.
On 2 July, the RIQGF carried out a Directive from Ngữ to disperse the demonstrators, perceiving them to be an increased threat. From this Sunday until 5 July, the Ground Force applied lethal force to do so, resulting in high casualties estimating to about 3,000 fatalities and 7,500 injured; most originated from the five aforementioned cities deemed the "Critical Five." After the crackdowns, a nationwide curfew was put in place from 6 July to 1 September to maintain political stability. Martial law within the Critical Five remained in effect until 19 July in the same regard. At the same time, freedom of speech was limited and freedom of the press became more stringent where stories about the Uprisings had to fit the narrative provided by the government; coupled with these measures were the expulsion of foreign journalists from the country.
The 1973 Uprisings remains the bloodiest civil unrest in Quenmin's history. After the resignation of Ngữ in 1975, memorials and events were organized to commemorate the first protest and the start of the crackdowns. From the scale and degree of the violence, the international community condemned the government response to the demonstrations, and sanctions and boycotts were applied against the nation, inflicting a negative effect on the economy and prompting massive political and economic reforms in and after 1975.
Background
Timeline
18-21 June: Demonstrations develop
18 June: K.I.T. Student Demonstration
19 June: Quyền Bính Tông City and Đà Nẵng
20 June: Bích Nguyệt
21 June: Cao Khoát
22-27 June: Demonstrations escalate
Sit-ins, civil disobedience and hunger strikes
More demonstrations spring
1973 Quyền Bính Tông City riot
Beating of Đặng Minh Giang
28 June-1 July: Martial law
2-5 July: Crackdowns
The disorder must cease before it is out of control. Apply force if necessary.
— Prime Ministerial Military Directive 4
2-3 July: Critical Five
4-5 July: Outside the Cities
Aftermath
Upon hearing of the 2 July crackdowns, Đỗ Kim Ngữ expressed displeasure at the use of lethal force and the high casualties inflicted. Although she had ordered for force to be applied if necessary to disperse the protests, she never anticipated live ammunition to be fired. Nevertheless, Ngữ and her government ordered for more stringent control of the domestic press and the expulsion of foreign journalists from the country.
Casualties
Impact and legacy
Galvanization of the 1975 Democratic Protests
The violence from the crackdowns left a lasting mental impact upon the pro-democracy protestors.