Thanh Nien News
Incest suspect defies public furor

Allegations of an incestuous relationship between a woman and her son in a northern province have outraged locals for years, leaving the woman's five children ostracized by the community.

Tran Thi Nguyet , 58, and her 35-year-old son Tran Van Truong have lived under the same roof in Nhan Chinh Commune in the northern province of Ha Nam for more than 20 years.

Their relationship is believed to have breached one of society?s greatest taboos in the 1980s when Nguyet's husband abandoned her for a younger women.

Faced with grinding poverty, Nguyet and her son moved to live with her mother.

In the middle of 1983, Nguyet mysteriously became pregnant.

Truong was suspected of being the father as he was the only male to ever be seen around where they lived and Nguyet was known to shun any acquittance with other men.

But during the years Nguyet had five children, much to the horror of local villagers.

Futile action

Nhan Chinh Commune Deputy Mayor Dinh Van Phong told Thanh Nien there was grounds to suspect an incestuous relationship between Truong and his mother.

The couple have lived together in a makeshift tent in the commune from 1984 to 2006, Phong said.

Nguyet's five children strongly resembled Truong, who may be both their father and brother, he added.

Nguyen Van Son, a former police officer in the commune, said although local authorities had done their best to stop the suspected incestuous relationship, their efforts were of no avail.

The mother and son repeatedly denied having a sexual relationship when summoned for questioning by local authorities.

Even when the local church swung into action to counsel the pair, who are both Catholic, into ending the relationship, the situation did not change.

The kids bear the brunt

Their oldest child, 23-year old Tran Thi Gam, has an unspecified birth defect and has suffered poor health since early childhood.

Gam works at a local garment factory in Ha Nam Province.

But her health problems, coupled with the stigma of her family background, seem to have deprived Gam of any happiness in life.

Gam's brother, 21-year-old Bac, was ostracized by his classmates during his school years.

His love for a local girl was also thwarted by her family, who rejected him because of the alleged stain on his family history.

Nguyet's other kids have also suffered.

Their daily lives are overshadowed by the heavy social stigma of their parent's alleged incest.

Reported by Tho Phuoc Van Phu
Story from Thanh Nien News
Published: 19 May, 2008, 13:24:35 (GMT+7)
Copyright Thanh Nien News