Cong Thanh Do
Encyclopedia
Cong Thanh Do (born ca. 1959) is a Vietnamese American
human rights
activist.
Do emigrated from Vietnam to the US in 1982. He advocates a multi-party democratic system for Vietnam
, and has been accused of plotting to overthrow the Vietnamese government. On 14 August 2006 he was arrested while on holiday in Phan Thiet and held in jail in Ho Chi Minh City
without trial. On 14 August 2006 he began a hunger strike
. His imprisonment was protested by a petition to the US Congress calling for the blocking of economic trade agreement, Permanent Normal Trade Relations, PNTR, between the US and the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam, SRVN. Under international pressure, the SRVN released Do from jail and deported
him back to the United States
on 21 September 2006.
He is a democracy activist for political change in Vietnam and his written various political topics calling for democractic elections in Vietnam and posting them on the internet in the United States.
He was forced to leave his country of South Vietnam due to political changes when the communist North Vietnamese Army defeated the Army of the Republic of Vietnam
(ARVN), after the Fall of Saigon
and the nation was ruled under a communist dictatorship.
On August 14, 2006, Vietnamese police officers entered his family's home and called Do and his wife in for questioning for his alleged involvement in the anti-communist organization known as The Government of Free Vietnam
(GFVN). His wife was then allowed to leave. Do was then detained and not allowed to leave the country.
The GFVN has issued a statement of non-affiliation with Mr. Do, who in actuality is a founding member of the People's Democratic Party of Vietnam.
In protest of his detainment without due process by the Vietnamese government, Mr. Do began what was to be a 38 day hunger strike
, drinking only water and, occasionally, milk. He was deported back to the United States on September 21, 2006.
The SRVN deems Do to be a national terrorist and threat to Vietnam.
Vietnamese American
A Vietnamese American is an American of Vietnamese descent. They make up about half of all overseas Vietnamese and are the fourth-largest Asian American group....
human rights
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
activist.
Do emigrated from Vietnam to the US in 1982. He advocates a multi-party democratic system for Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
, and has been accused of plotting to overthrow the Vietnamese government. On 14 August 2006 he was arrested while on holiday in Phan Thiet and held in jail in Ho Chi Minh City
Ho Chi Minh City
Ho Chi Minh City , formerly named Saigon is the largest city in Vietnam...
without trial. On 14 August 2006 he began a hunger strike
Hunger strike
A hunger strike is a method of non-violent resistance or pressure in which participants fast as an act of political protest, or to provoke feelings of guilt in others, usually with the objective to achieve a specific goal, such as a policy change. Most hunger strikers will take liquids but not...
. His imprisonment was protested by a petition to the US Congress calling for the blocking of economic trade agreement, Permanent Normal Trade Relations, PNTR, between the US and the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam, SRVN. Under international pressure, the SRVN released Do from jail and deported
Deportation
Deportation means the expulsion of a person or group of people from a place or country. Today it often refers to the expulsion of foreign nationals whereas the expulsion of nationals is called banishment, exile, or penal transportation...
him back to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
on 21 September 2006.
He is a democracy activist for political change in Vietnam and his written various political topics calling for democractic elections in Vietnam and posting them on the internet in the United States.
He was forced to leave his country of South Vietnam due to political changes when the communist North Vietnamese Army defeated the Army of the Republic of Vietnam
Army of the Republic of Vietnam
The Army of the Republic of Viet Nam , sometimes parsimoniously referred to as the South Vietnamese Army , was the land-based military forces of the Republic of Vietnam , which existed from October 26, 1955 until the fall of Saigon on April 30, 1975...
(ARVN), after the Fall of Saigon
Fall of Saigon
The Fall of Saigon was the capture of Saigon, the capital of South Vietnam, by the People's Army of Vietnam and the National Liberation Front on April 30, 1975...
and the nation was ruled under a communist dictatorship.
Exile in the United States
He is an advocate of free elections in Vietnam under the pen name "Nam Tran" with which he posts his political papers on the internet and various Vietnamese language newspapers in the United States and overseas.On August 14, 2006, Vietnamese police officers entered his family's home and called Do and his wife in for questioning for his alleged involvement in the anti-communist organization known as The Government of Free Vietnam
Government of Free Vietnam
Provisional Government of Free Vietnam is a paramilitary political organization headquartered in Garden Grove, California and Missouri City, Texas...
(GFVN). His wife was then allowed to leave. Do was then detained and not allowed to leave the country.
The GFVN has issued a statement of non-affiliation with Mr. Do, who in actuality is a founding member of the People's Democratic Party of Vietnam.
In protest of his detainment without due process by the Vietnamese government, Mr. Do began what was to be a 38 day hunger strike
Hunger strike
A hunger strike is a method of non-violent resistance or pressure in which participants fast as an act of political protest, or to provoke feelings of guilt in others, usually with the objective to achieve a specific goal, such as a policy change. Most hunger strikers will take liquids but not...
, drinking only water and, occasionally, milk. He was deported back to the United States on September 21, 2006.
The SRVN deems Do to be a national terrorist and threat to Vietnam.
Remarks in Protest of Arrest in Vietnam
- "The Vietnamese government has now taken the unprecedented step of imprisoning a United States citizen who states that he is being held solely because of his pro-democratic, non-violent views," said US Congresswoman Zoe LofgrenZoe LofgrenZoe Lofgren is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1995. She is a member of the Democratic Party. The district is based in San Jose.-Early life, education, and early career:...
http://rawstory.com/news/2006/Vietnam_accuses_US_activist_of_terr_09082006.html
- "Urging Congress not to grant Vietnam permanent normal trading relations until Do is freed. That economic status is a necessary step in Vietnam's bid to join the World Trade Organization. Vietnam's entry into the WTO is expected before the end of the year." Van TranVan TranVan Thai Tran , born October 19, 1964) is an attorney and politician in California, formerly serving as a Republican member of the California State Assembly, representing portions of Orange County. Tran and Texas State Representative Hubert Vo were the highest-ranking Vietnamese American elected...
, a prominent Vietnamese-American state assemblyman from Southern California. http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/local/15485951.htm
External links
- Freed Activist Is Seen as a Hero
- Local activist denies plotting violence in Vietnam
- San Jose Mercury News
- Vietnam accuses US activist of terror plot on American interests
- Officials call for activist's release S.J. POLITICIANS JOIN CRITICISM OF VIETNAM
- Vietnamese-American Arrested For Democracy Activism
- Arrest of a Vietnamese-American in line with law