Phú Quôc Prison ( also known as An Thoi POW Camp or Coconut Tree Prison) was a military prison in Phú Quốc, southern Vietnam (today it is in Kiên Giang Province).
History The prison was built in 1949–1950 by French colonialists as a place to detain political dissidents.
During the Vietnam War, it was used for the detention of Viet Cong and North Vietnamese prisoners of war. The prison covered an area of . During the Tet Offensive in early 1968, 2,665 POWs escaped after attacking the fenceline, few of them were recaptured. The Vietcong shelled or attacked the camp 34 times in 1968.
International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) teams visited Phu Quoc Prison in 1969International Review of the Red Cross, March 1969, 9th year, No 96., p. 130 and 1972.International Review of the Red Cross, December 1972, 12th year, No. 141, p. 658 The ICRC found that many POWs showed signs of inadequate food supplies, poor medical care and physical beatings.
The prison was closed after the Fall of Saigon in April 1975.
It is ranked as a special historical relic of national significance by the government of Vietnam and is now a museum.
References
External links
Ex-commando recalls the horror of jail Savage criminals in Phu Quoc Prison