‘A lifetime of trauma’: Young women indecently assaulted by Vietnamese officials

Thursday, 12 December 2024

Two young women were indecently assaulted by members of the Vietnamese Government at a Wellington restaurant in March. Police say they have “no doubt” the assaults occurred, but despite this they did not lay charges nor seek for the men to be returned from Vietnam. One of the women — angry at the lack of effort for justice — has told her story exclusively to Olivia Wannan and Paula Penfold.

This story may include details that upset some readers.

Alison Cook recalls Vietnamese officials “pulling us into their laps, pinning us against the wall”.

The then-19-year-old was one of two wait staff groped and injured by two Vietnamese officials.

Stuff has been investigating for over a month and can finally reveal the two men were visiting on official business when they indecently assaulted two young women. But by the time police made enquiries and established their identities, the men had already left New Zealand.

Cook has pieced together broken memories of the night that she was indecently assaulted at work. She remembers her hair being pulled back as a man poured whiskey down her throat. There’s the moment when an official shoved himself on her – and another when her breasts were fondled and her nipples pinched.

In an exclusive interview, she told Stuff how the next morning she discovered an unexplained cut on her nipple. But that is where her memory is blank: “I have no idea what happened. I know something bad happened.”

The Police refused to release CCTV footage from that night, to Stuff or Cook – who has a right to her information under privacy laws.

But in an unusually strongly worded statement to Stuff, Wellington District Criminal Investigations Manager Detective Inspector John Van Den Heuvel said Police “have no doubt” Cook and her coworker were indecently assaulted, and that detectives “would have pursued criminal charges”.

The men left New Zealand before they were identified as suspects, and because New Zealand has no extradition treaty with Vietnam, Police said: “we were unable to commence extradition proceedings, and as such no charges were laid”.

Instead, through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, they wrote to the Vietnamese Ambassador, “outlining what had taken place and expressing New Zealand Police’s deep concern over this behaviour”.

Stuff put a series of questions to the Vietnamese Embassy on Wednesday but did not get a response.

Cook said the incident left her horribly sick and processing “a lifetime of trauma, grief, and feelings of powerlessness”. After no charges were laid against the men, the young woman chose to make her story public, to seek justice for herself and others who have experienced sexual assault.

A law student at Victoria University, Cook had worked at Vietnamese restaurant Saigon on Willis for three months before the assault occurred.

The Vietnamese government officials dined there on March 4, prior to the Vietnamese Prime Minister’s visit to New Zealand beginning March 9.

After the officials – a group of six men and two women – finished their meal, they were invited to use a private karaoke room out of sight of the main restaurant area.

It’s not clear if those same officials stayed on, or returned to Wellington for Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh's visit.

Cook is an American citizen who came to New Zealand to study and lived in the capital for more than two years before recently moving to Auckland. She said the Vietnamese officials took a special interest in her, due to the US involvement in the Vietnam War.

Once in the karaoke room, Cook says she was told by restaurant management that if she was offered a drink, she would “have to accept it because it's impolite to reject a drink from someone, in Vietnamese culture”.

Willis on Saigon owner Giang Do confirmed to Stuff he and another member of staff were in the restaurant that night. But Do said he did not pressure his staff to drink alcohol and did not witness any inappropriate behaviour from the Vietnamese officials.

After drinking several glasses of red wine, Cook said two men, whose names she did not know, forced alcohol down her throat. She quickly became intoxicated, meaning her recollection of the night is incomplete.

“Then the whiskey started coming. And that’s when they started pulling our hair back and pouring whiskey down our throat. It was almost painful to have that much whiskey in your mouth,” she told Stuff.

After the staff sang a karaoke song, the officials offered each a $100 note. Cook initially believed this was a tip, but when this happened again, she started to question the men’s intentions.

“That’s weird to give someone $200 for being here,” she said.

“I was also thinking to myself: these are the head of police of Vietnam. They’re literally security guys. Surely, they’ll uphold their job title or have some decency.”

As Cook and her female co-worker became intoxicated, the two men became increasingly sexual and physical. At first, Cook was told she was beautiful and compared to a Playboy model. She was kissed on the cheek, asked to sit on an official’s lap and urged to kiss her co-worker.

Cook can recall one of the men forcing himself on her.

“All of a sudden I’m against a wall,” she said. “I honestly blacked out when I was pushed up against – I was in so much shock that I just kinda froze.”

Cook also remembers the men grabbing her bottom and grasping her nipples.

“Nothing was computing to us, because we were so intoxicated that we didn’t realise what was happening.”

Cook’s friend Grace – who spoke with her on the phone that night – confirmed Cook was “very drunk” and had told her of how she was groped by the restaurant customers.

Based on her memories and behaviour, Cook is concerned she ingested drugs without her knowledge, believing that her and her co-worker’s drinks may have been spiked.

When she woke the next morning: “It felt like I was hit by a truck, honestly. It was worse than a hangover.”

That day, Cook recalls, “I couldn’t form a coherent sentence. I was still so just out of it. Every time I stood up, it felt like I was going to fall flat on my face again. And that’s when I started thinking, this doesn’t feel like I was just drunk.”

She also discovered an inexplicable cut on her nipple. “I know that it came from something they did. I have no idea what they did.”

After visiting the hospital the following evening, Cook and her coworker rang the police and reported the incident. Later, they visited Wellington Central Police Station to report the assault.

New Zealand diplomats have previously sought an extradition agreement with Vietnam.

Barrister Graeme Edgeler said extradition treaties make the process easier, but any government can formally request another government to consider extradition. But many countries have “a blanket rule” that they will never extradite a citizen, he said.

Cook quit her job shortly after the incident. With no charges laid, she feels the officials have “got away with their crimes” while she and her coworker still have questions about what happened that night.

In early November, Cook requested a copy of her police file, which she has a right to under privacy laws. Police failed to respond.

“It’s weird to process a trauma when you don’t really know what happened. I don’t even know the full story, but I feel like I should be entitled to the full story, because it happened to me.”

Now, with confirmation that police detectives believe she was indeed assaulted, she wants the assailants returned to New Zealand, to face justice.

The full Police statement:

Please attribute to Detective Inspector John Van Den Heuvel, Criminal investigations Manager – Wellington District:

Police received two complaints regarding this matter in March 2024 and an investigation was commenced.

The CIB made a number of enquiries including reviewing CCTV footage and speaking with witnesses.

Police established who our suspects were and that they were Vietnamese officials, visiting on official business. Enquiries were then made with the Vietnamese Embassy who made every effort to assist Police with our investigation.

Once Police had established the suspects’ identities, they had already left New Zealand. As we have no extradition treaty with Vietnam, we were unable to commence extradition proceedings, and as such no charges were laid.

Police then took the steps to write a letter to be issued via our Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade to the Vietnamese Ambassador, outlining what had taken place and expressing New Zealand Police’s deep concern over this behaviour. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade shared those concerns and this was conveyed to the Ambassador.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade confirmed to Police at the time that the Vietnamese officials were not entitled to diplomatic immunity. (Note: Diplomatic or consular immunity applies only to diplomatic or consular staff accredited to New Zealand.)

Police have no doubt these two women were indecently assaulted by two men while working and had these men still been in New Zealand we would have pursued criminal charges.

Police carried out a thorough investigation into this matter and updated the victims regularly with our progress, as well as offering Victim Support to them to ensure they had the appropriate support in place.

While we know this is not the outcome they would have hoped for, Police have exhausted all plausible investigative avenues.