The court’s ruling fails to recognise the dangerous nature of acts committed by Ly Tong who has for a long time gone against national interests. Ly Tong is a Vietnamese-born US citizen and used to be a pilot under the former Saigon regime. In November 2001, Ly Tong hijacked a plane from Thailand, illegally violated Vietnamese territory and dropped leaflets opposing the State of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.

On the charge of hijacking the aircraft, he was sentenced to seven years’ imprisonment by the Thai Court. His acts gravely violated Vietnamese sovereignty, security and law, as well as International law and treaties. As a result, the Bangkok-based Criminal Court continued to try Ly Tong. On September 7, 2006, a lower court in Thailand decided to extradite Ly
Tong to Vietnam so that Vietnamese legal agencies could bring him to trial for his erroneous acts. The decision was the right one, in line with Vietnamese law and the fine development of cooperative relations between the two countries.

During a visit to Vietnam at the end of last year, Thai Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont affirmed that Thailand bans any act of using its territory to oppose the Vietnamese State and that his country will try Ly Tong to deter schemes and acts against Vietnam and other nations.

However, the Bangkok-based Appeals Court ruling on April 3 to refuse the extradition of Ly Tong to Vietnam for trial is incompatible with the Thai Government’s commitments and detrimental to the development process of relations between Vietnam and Thailand.

It seems Ly Tong himself was fully aware of the gravity of his action and he was very surprised at the court’s decision not to extradite him to Vietnam.

The Bangkok-based Court of Appeals ruling fails to demonstrate the strictness or determination of a legislative body in the face of a terrorist act, which should have been duly punished. Such an unfair and mistaken decision will only encourage terrorists and criminals to oppose the joint efforts of the International community in the fight against similar acts in the region and the world.