The arrest sparked a widespread outcry from several members of organisations in California, the US. They described this as a groundless arrest and cited it as another proof of violating democracy and human rights in Vietnam.

The US House of Representatives’ Subcommittee on Human Rights and Wellness even conducted a hearing on the issue with unjust demands that President George W. Bush should cancel his visit to Vietnam and that the US Congress should not grant permanent normal trade relations status to Vietnam.

All people backing Thanh in California are Vietnamese-born Americans who have been assigned to keep a close watch on socio-cultural and educational activities in California, including representatives of overseas Vietnamese. The question is whether they were really ignorant or pretended to know nothing about Thanh’s law-breaking activities against Vietnam’s national security.

After migrating to the US in 1984, Thanh had joined a terrorist organisation led by Nguyen Huu Chanh who was arrested in Seoul, the Republic of Korea, last April on a charge of hatching a terrorist plot.      

On Chanh’s order, Thanh established an email club with the aim of inciting reactionaries living in exile to sabotage the Vietnamese government. Last year, Thanh had contact with several elements and made public a declaration on establishing a reactionary organisation for the purpose of overthrowing the Vietnamese government.

Returning to Vietnam this time, Thanh attempted to carry out a terrorist plot in which the US Consulate General in HCM City would be one of his targets as he wanted revenge for Chanh, but he was arrested on September 14. Vietnamese security agencies have ample documentation and evidence of Thanh’s law-breaking activities. Thanh himself admitted his wrongful act while being interrogated by Vietnamese security officers.   

Christopher A. Murray, an officer for regional security of the US General Consulate in HCM City, had a working session with the Ministry of Public Security’s Anti-terrorist Department. He said that the arrest was not groundless and that Thanh’s terrorist attempt to overthrow the Vietnamese government violated the Vietnamese law.

Against this background, several Vietnamese Americans have still accused Vietnam of violating human rights and democratic regulations. This wrongful act does not reflect the true sentiments and aspirations of most overseas Vietnamese living in the US who always turn their hearts to the homeland through practical activities. Even the US press have maintained that it is a crime against the Vietnamese nation to back Thanh’s underlying motive for undermining national security.

Despite this fact, some hostile forces lacking in goodwill towards Vietnam still brought pressure to bear on the US House of Representatives’ Subcommittee on Human Rights and Wellness for a hearing on human rights in Vietnam, where they went to whole lengths to demand that President George W. Bush should cancel his visit to Vietnam this November and that Congress should not grant permanent normal trade relation status to Vietnam. The obvious reason behind their motion is that they wanted to defend Thanh whom they described as a fighter for democracy and freedom in Vietnam.

There is one thing for sure: those who respect law and justice can never accept such unreasonable demands since no state in the world ever prefers going out of its way to condone such law-breakers and saboteurs of national security as Thanh in this case.

The US Congress recently said that there is no reason for it not to ratify PNTR with Vietnam in the next two months before President George W. Bush visits the Southeast Asian country this November. This means that the US Congress will not pass any motion against cooperative relations between Vietnam and the US. 

A UK-based organisation of emerging economies which recently conducted a survey in 178 countries has concluded that Vietnam is among the top 20 countries where people have enjoyed living a long, happy and safe life.

Back from a visit to Vietnam last August, Leeland Yee, Assistant Speaker Pro Tempore of the California State Assembly, also claims to have seen a free country where democracy and fundamental human rights are respected.

Once again, all slanderous allegations about Vietnam’s violating human rights and democracy can cut no ice with the public.