Vietnam Deports American Citizen of Vietnamese Origin

Text of report by Vietnamese newspaper Thanh Nien on 12 December

[Report by Bao Thien: "Vietnam Deports Truong Leon, Member of the Vietnamese Reactionary Organization in Exile"]

In Ho Chi Minh City on 11 December, a representative of the External Relations Section of the Public Security Office read the Ministry of Public Security’s decision No 2961 on the deportation of Mr Truong Leon from Vietnam. The announcement was witnessed by a representative of the US Consulate in Ho Chi Minh City.

The decision stated: Truong Leon was arrested in November on a charge of being related to a terrorist scheme, in accordance with Article 84 of the Vietnamese Criminal Code. However, after being arrested, Truong Leon showed repentance, thus being granted an exemption from criminal prosecution; yet, he was ordered to leave Vietnam within 24 hours.

Truong Leon was handed over to the US side at the Tan Son Nhat Airport and left Vietnam on flight CI 686 at 1740 on 11 December.

Truong Leon, alias Truong Van Sy, born on 20 September 1953, is an American of Vietnamese origin. He is residing at 1487, Punchobow Lonolulu -Hawaii 96813, United States of America. He and Nguyen Thanh Van were arrested by the Vietnamese Public Security Ministry’s Investigation Department on 17 November 2007 when they entered Vietnam on that day, bringing along one pistol and 13 bullets.

At the Investigation Department, Truong Leon showed cooperative attitude by recounting activities of the so-called Vietnamese reactionary organization Viet Tan [Vietnam Reform]. Truong Leon was sent to Vietnam to distribute illegal documents against Vietnam, carry out terrorist activities, incite the people to stage a demonstration to create social unrest. Truong Leon confessed that he was introduced to the “Viet Tan” group by Nguyen Thanh Cong in April 2005. After joining this group, he found out that it is the former group of the “United Front for Liberation of Vietnam,” set up by Hoang Co Minh. In the past, this reactionary organization had, on many occasions, sent its members with arms into Vietnam to carry out sabotage activities with the aim of overthrowing the Vietnamese regime.

In the United States, Truong Leon regularly distributed leaflets of the “Viet Tan” group in various Vietnamese communities, urging them to participate in the struggle to overthrow the Vietnamese regime. Truong Leon confessed that he was assigned by the “Viet Tan” group to travel to Vietnam two times to distribute leaflets, carrying contents against the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. The first time in April 2007, he was assigned by Nguyen Thanh Cong to make contact with a man called Hai, who led him to see another man called Nam to get about 7,000-8,000 leaflets against Vietnam. He put them in envelopes and sent them to local Vietnamese through the postal service. In the second time, he was again assigned by Nguyen Thanh Cong to meet with Hai on 17 November 2007, who would lead him to see another man, called Lam for a new assignment. Truong Leon later found out that Lam was also alias Nguyen Quoc Quan.

At 1500 on 11 December, Truong Leon was released from the Ministry of Public Security. In meeting with the press, Truong Leon said: “during my detention, I was well treated by the Investigation Department. My confession was made on a totally voluntary basis. I would like to pledge that after receiving a leniency from the State of Vietnam and returning to the United State for a family reunion, I will never again participate in any activities of reactionary organizations with the aim of carrying out sabotage activities against Vietnam.”

Originally published by Thanh Nien, Ho Chi Minh City, in Vietnamese 12 Dec 07.

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