A Ho Chi Minh City local complained to police he was frequently hassled by his neighbor but instead of intervention, all he got was a rebuke from a police officer who forced him into writing that he “won’t cause public disorder again”.

Ho Van Tan in Ho Chi Minh City’s Binh Thanh district lamented that due to conflicts from sharing a water gauge and electric lines, he was incessantly name-called by a neighbor, driving him and his family into considerable anxiety and fright.

He’s also frustrated that though he serves as an unofficial head of his neighborhood, he didn’t get much help from the local police.

What vexes him most is that sergeant-major Nguyen Nhat Khanh made him promise in writing that he “won’t cause public disorder again” as if the act of complaining were wrong.

“I’m a victim, but I was treated like an offender. I’m also worried that my guarantee in writing may blemish my eldest son’s profile when he looks for a job later,” Tan shared.

Lieutenant-Colonel Hoang Thong Viet, head of the Binh Thanh district police, said he will look into the case, asserting that it’s unlawful for the police officer to ask Tan to do so.