Ly Tong, a staunch anti-communist, is defiant towards the Hanoi regime which threatens to have him extradited to Vietnam to face charges.Thursday May 18, 2006
PLANE HIJACKING CASE EXTRADITION THREAT
Anti-communist Ly Tong freed, still defiant
ACHARA ASHAYAGACHAT WASSAYOS NGAMKHAM
Bangkok Post (Thailand)
Anti-communist Ly Tong was released yesterday after nearly six years in jail for hijacking a plane, but remained defiant ahead of another judicial process to extradite him to Vietnam. Ly Tong told the Bangkok Post that if he could not ''win the [extradition] battle in court within a few months, and if the Bush administration is not of any help'', he would give himself up to the Vietnamese government.
''I will surrender my American citizenship and will walk into the hands of the Vietnamese Communists defiantly,'' said Ly Tong.
He said he did not fear the Hanoi regime since he had 166 Vietnamese supporters who signed up to back him two months ago, as well as millions of others worldwide.
The state attorney will file the Ly Tong extradition case before the Criminal Court today.
Extradition lawsuits usually take months to proceed and the US embassy said it could not do anything until the judicial decision has been finalised.
The former jet fighter pilot, who fought for South Vietnam against the communist North in the 1960s and 70s, said he should not have been punished.
He said it was Capt Theera Sukying, not him, who flew a small plane from Prachuap Khiri Khan into Cambodia and Vietnam in November, 2000 to drop anti-Communist pamphlets over Ho Chi Minh City during a visit by then US president Bill Clinton.
He was arrested upon landing in Rayong's Ban Chang district and was later sentenced to prison for violating Thai airspace.
''I believe I can win the extradition case, given that Hanoi's charge of violating its airspace is a minor offence, not a serious crime as designated in the extradition law,'' he said.
The Vietnamese government sent the extradition request to the Foreign Ministry in December, 2004 citing two charges - the offence of slander against Hanoi and the crime of violating the territorial security of Vietnam.
Hanoi later agreed, upon the ministry's request, to drop the political charge so the Office of the Attorney-General could proceed with the judicial process for the extradition request.
Ly Tong, a naturalised US citizen, was born in Vietnam in 1946 and is a devout anti-communist. He attracted international attention by dropping anti-communist leaflets over Cuba and Vietnam and has been jailed several times.
''I will surrender my American citizenship and will walk into the hands of the Vietnamese Communists defiantly,'' said Ly Tong.
He said he did not fear the Hanoi regime since he had 166 Vietnamese supporters who signed up to back him two months ago, as well as millions of others worldwide.
The state attorney will file the Ly Tong extradition case before the Criminal Court today.
Extradition lawsuits usually take months to proceed and the US embassy said it could not do anything until the judicial decision has been finalised.
The former jet fighter pilot, who fought for South Vietnam against the communist North in the 1960s and 70s, said he should not have been punished.
He said it was Capt Theera Sukying, not him, who flew a small plane from Prachuap Khiri Khan into Cambodia and Vietnam in November, 2000 to drop anti-Communist pamphlets over Ho Chi Minh City during a visit by then US president Bill Clinton.
He was arrested upon landing in Rayong's Ban Chang district and was later sentenced to prison for violating Thai airspace.
''I believe I can win the extradition case, given that Hanoi's charge of violating its airspace is a minor offence, not a serious crime as designated in the extradition law,'' he said.
The Vietnamese government sent the extradition request to the Foreign Ministry in December, 2004 citing two charges - the offence of slander against Hanoi and the crime of violating the territorial security of Vietnam.
Hanoi later agreed, upon the ministry's request, to drop the political charge so the Office of the Attorney-General could proceed with the judicial process for the extradition request.
Ly Tong, a naturalised US citizen, was born in Vietnam in 1946 and is a devout anti-communist. He attracted international attention by dropping anti-communist leaflets over Cuba and Vietnam and has been jailed several times.
7 comments:
Long live Ly Tong! You are a great man.
Ly, you are a hero.
This dude is an old man. He is 60 years old. In 40 years he will be one hundred years of age. Hahaha. I wish younger Hun Sen would have more backspine like this old dude against Hanoi. What was the old dude's mission again?
I am not impress by Ly Tong defiant. The most Vietcong will do to him is to put him in so called
"re-education camp" which mean 10years or more and then he is a free man! Ly Tong still live to see his children!
Now think about this! Mr. Chhun Yasith(Cambodian Freedom Fighter) committed the same crime as Ly Tong
and if United States were to extradite Mr. Chhun Yashid back to Cambodia and I am positively sure that AH HUN SEN will kill him! Remember...there is no re-education camp in Cambodia. AH HUN SEN love to take his enemy out!
Better die than stay in Preysar my friend! You know to little about the XXXkhmerrouge. they are worst than their master. Viet Name is a dog, Hun Sen is a beast.
Man, you guys never fail to impress me. You guys seem to say just the right naked truth again and again. Some of the statement I like:
"Ah Hun Sen love to take his enemy out. It is positively sure that Ah Hun Sen will kill Chhun Yahsid"
"The XXXKhmerrouge they are worst than their master. VietNam is just a dog, but Hun Sen is a BEAST."
Damn Ah HUN SEN, the one-eyed butcher of the Cambodian people.
thanks you ly, you got the gut out of your people who life freely in the US,..i thought all the vietnamese hated the US, if so why too many vietnames flooded the US?..For you as my hero, and long life of anti-communist as well as I. And i hope the stupit case will drop soon, i'm behind you as well as all khmer who are anti-commnunist, because they just stay to destroy the land and cultures, and make the country become chaos and poor, and suffered forever..roki
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