Terrorist plots of reactionary organisations deserve strict punishment

HCM City (VNA) - Authorities have recently brought to light several terrorist and sabotage plots of exile reactionary organisations like the “Provisional National Government of Vietnam” and “Viet Nguyen Dynasty”, strictly punishing the masterminds behind these cases.

The “Provisional National Government of Vietnam” was established in the US and led by Dao Minh Quan (also known as Dao Van, a US national born in 1952 who used to serve in the army of the US-backed regime in South Vietnam before 1975). 

The organisation set up contacts with Vietnamese at home or sent Vietnamese expats back to Vietnam in order to conduct sabotage activities.

At the end of 2016, via social networking sites, Quan, Pham Thi Anh Dao (also known as Pham Lisa, also a US national born in 1979) and some others instructed several chapters of the organisation in Vietnam to intensify efforts in developing forces, and establishing armed groups tasked with burning, killing and destroying, and generally aiming to terrorise, assassinate, and damage targets and key facilities in the country.

Instructed by the Vietnamese expats, members of the armed groups have actively conducted several highly dangerous terrorist activities.

One of such armed groups is “Phuong Hoang” which is made up of Thai Han Phong, Nguyen Duc Sinh, Nguyen Ngoc Tien, Dang Hoang Thien, Nguyen Thi Chung, and Ngo Thuy Tuong Vy. They used petrol bombs to set fire to a warehouse storing motorcycles seized by police for traffic rule violations in Bien Hoa city in the southern province of Dong Nai. The group also planted petrol bombs at Tan Son Nhat International Airport in April 2017.

The latest terrorist incident was caused by the “Viet Nguyen Dynasty” which had separated from the “Provisional National Government of Vietnam.” The group bombed the police station of ward 12 in Tan Binh district, Ho Chi Minh City, causing injuries to three people.

The mastermind behind the case was Nguyen Khanh (born in 1964, residing in Ho Nai 3 commune, Trang Bom district, Dong Nai province) who confessed to his close-knit links with the exiled Ngo Hung (resides in the US and claims himself the commander-in-chief of the “Viet Nguyen Dynasty”).

Hung named Khanh the “governor of the Dong Nai autonomous region” and transferred 120 million VND (5,280 USD) to Khanh, asking him to find people to make explosives for use at the headquarters of State agencies.

The exiled reactionary organisations have not stopped at using domestic social issues to incite people to join demonstrations as in the past, but went further to organise and instruct their domestic chapters to carry out dangerous, armed activities against the State.

As terrorist plots and activities had been on the rise, investigation agencies and procedure-conducting agencies have mobilised forces to promptly investigate, arrest, and bring to court the perpetrators, helping to maintain political stability, social order, and safety.

At the trial of the defendants who planted petrol bombs at Tan Son Nhat International Airport and set fire to the warehouse of Bien Hoa city police in Dong Nai province, the court’s panel judged that the defendants had been enticed by reactionary elements abroad to engage in activities against the State and the people, such as spreading false and distorted information on social networking sites, participating in demonstrations, recruiting members for reactionary organisations, and making weapons. 

The defendants were given prison sentences ranging from five to 16 years on charges of “conducting terrorism against the people’s administration”.

For the time to come, the People’s Court of HCM City will continue bringing to trial 12 defendants from the “Provisional National Government of Vietnam” on charges of conducting activities to overthrow the the people’s administration, as well as some others for causing public disorder. 

Vo Van Hoan, chief of the HCM City People’s Committee Office, said that in influence of social networking sites is growing, resulting in negative and distorted information being more accessible to the public than the mainstream information of the press.

The municipal People’s Committee will pay due attention to following news spread on social networking sites in order to create specific measures preventing the dissemination of false information, he said.

Relevant agencies of HCM City will continue to deploy concerted measures to maintain social order and security, while increasing communication activities to help the public thoroughly understand the Party’s and State’s policies, he added.-VNA