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US citizens on trial in Vietnam
Vietnamese prosecutors have accused the group of terrorism
Three US citizens and four Vietnamese have gone on trial in Vietnam charged with terrorism. They are accused of attempting to set up illegal transmitters to make anti-communist radio broadcasts inside the country.
Correspondents says the case may complicate ties with the US ahead of President George W Bush’s visit next week and a Congressional vote on trade. The trial in Ho Chi Minh City is expected to last no more than a day.
All of the seven defendants are of Vietnamese origin, but three – Nguyen Thuong Cuc, also known as Cuc Foshee, Huynh Bich Lien and Le Van Binh – also have US citizenship.
Local press reports have linked them to a California-based anti-communist organisation called the Government of Free Vietnam. They are alleged to have brought transmitters and other equipment into Vietnam from neighbouring Cambodia.
They were hoping to take over local radio stations and broadcast anti-government radio messages, according to the BBC correspondent in Hanoi, Bill Hayton.
The case is being heard exactly a week before President Bush arrives in Vietnam to attend the annual Asia-Pacific summit (Apec). It may also complicate scheduled votes in the US Congress intended to permanently normalise trade relations between America and Vietnam, our correspondent says.
Senator Mel Martinez from Florida, the home state of one of the accused, has threatened to block the bill because of the case. That would be an embarrassment to both governments, which have heralded the bill as symbolising their new partnership.
If found guilty of terrorism, the accused could face sentences ranging from 12 years in jail to the death penalty. The Vietnamese government is currently trying to extradite a man it calls the leader of the plot, Nguyen Huu Chanh, from South Korea.
An earlier attempt failed. Mr Chanh was one of the founders of the Government of Free Vietnam.
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Government of Free Viet Nam website (probably not accessible from within Viet Nam, but get the scoop here: Wiki article)
The Government of Free Vietnam is an anti-communist paramilitary and political organization that was established on April 30, 1995, by its founder Nguyen Hoang Dan. Its headquarters are in Garden Grove, California. The organization’s goal is to remove the government of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, either politically or militarily.
The Government of Free Vietnam claims 6,000 members and 100,000 supporters who were trained in secret camp locations along the Vietnamese/Cambodian border. They also claim 75 chapters in Asia, Australia, and Europe. Although the GFVN prides itself on its widespread support, many argue that the GFVN never received a true mandate to represent the Vietnamese diaspora.
They have a base of operations in KC-702, a secret base along the border between Vietnam and Cambodia.
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Lets Go Everywhere 
And Vietnam basically did the expected and handed down light sentences. They all get out in a month, including the Vietnamese nationals.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061110/ap_on_re_as/vietnam_us_trial_15
Vietnam is doing a lot of accommodating in the lead up to WTO accession. I can’t wait to see what they wind up regretting and what they don’t.
Interesting times in SE Asia…
Comment by somelikeitscott November 11, 2006 @ 4:51 amThat’s great news!!! Thanks for the update Scott!
Finally George Bush is being used as a tool for good.
My advice to the 7 when released: run like hell!!!! Bush won’t be around forever.
Comment by letsgoeverywhere November 11, 2006 @ 5:07 am