Nguyen Huu Chanh, Hanoi's most wanted anti-communist Vietnamese, is recognized as a political refugee in Seoul, South Korea. He will not be extradited to Hanoi. (Photo: Wikipedia)Vietnam envoy regrets Seoul's refusal to extradite fugitive
By Annie I. Bang
The Korea Herald
The Vietnamese Embassy in Seoul yesterday expressed disappointment over a court ruling that refused to extradite an anti-government activist.
Nguyen Huu Chanh, a former leader of the California-based Government of Free Vietnam, an anti-communist organization, was detained in Seoul on April 5 on charges of weapons trafficking and terrorism.
The Vietnamese government has requested to repatriate Nguyen, 57, but the Seoul High Court yesterday recognized him as "a political refugee."
"We regret for the decision. The court's decision is not our Vietnamese wish," a high-ranking embassy official in Seoul told The Korea Herald. "He is a terrorist. The Vietnam firmly confirmed that Chanh is a terrorist, (therefore) he should be and he must be extradited to Vietnam."
Seoul has an extradition treaty with Hanoi, and the government has been under increasing pressure by the Vietnamese government to extradite Nguyen.
Hanoi has extradited 10 Koreans living in the Southeast Asian country.
With 13 charges against Nguyen, which include failed terrorist attacks, the Seoul court held three hearings in the past two months. The court concluded to recognize Nguyen as a political refugee, said Suh Kyueng-hwan, spokesman of the High Court.
"The court believes that the charges are political ones, considering the Vietnamese government's background and activities," Suh said.
He added that the case cannot be appealed to a higher court under the extradition law, therefore, Nguyen will likely be sent to a third country.
During the final court hearing on July 13 in Seoul, Nguyen denied all charges that were filed by the Vietnamese government. He claimed that "all evidence and testimonies against me were fabricated."
Korean law stipulates that a foreigner should be extradited if he or she threatens many human lives. This disregards political beliefs.
Nguyen fled to the United States after escaping from a Vietnamese prison in 1982.
In June 1999, the Vietnamese government issued an international order that cited Nguyen for his role behind terrorist attacks on Vietnamese Embassies worldwide, including in Cambodia and Thailand.
Hanoi has also accused him of attempting to blow up various state facilities in Vietnam, including a prominent statue of Vietnam's founding leader Ho Chi Minh.
Why Nguyen came to Seoul isn't clear. Some reports say that Nguyen was on a fund-raising campaign against Vietnam, while others say he was on a trip representing the U.S. International Mission to Fight Human Trafficking, an organization that he said to have founded.
(aibang@heraldm.com)
Nguyen Huu Chanh, a former leader of the California-based Government of Free Vietnam, an anti-communist organization, was detained in Seoul on April 5 on charges of weapons trafficking and terrorism.
The Vietnamese government has requested to repatriate Nguyen, 57, but the Seoul High Court yesterday recognized him as "a political refugee."
"We regret for the decision. The court's decision is not our Vietnamese wish," a high-ranking embassy official in Seoul told The Korea Herald. "He is a terrorist. The Vietnam firmly confirmed that Chanh is a terrorist, (therefore) he should be and he must be extradited to Vietnam."
Seoul has an extradition treaty with Hanoi, and the government has been under increasing pressure by the Vietnamese government to extradite Nguyen.
Hanoi has extradited 10 Koreans living in the Southeast Asian country.
With 13 charges against Nguyen, which include failed terrorist attacks, the Seoul court held three hearings in the past two months. The court concluded to recognize Nguyen as a political refugee, said Suh Kyueng-hwan, spokesman of the High Court.
"The court believes that the charges are political ones, considering the Vietnamese government's background and activities," Suh said.
He added that the case cannot be appealed to a higher court under the extradition law, therefore, Nguyen will likely be sent to a third country.
During the final court hearing on July 13 in Seoul, Nguyen denied all charges that were filed by the Vietnamese government. He claimed that "all evidence and testimonies against me were fabricated."
Korean law stipulates that a foreigner should be extradited if he or she threatens many human lives. This disregards political beliefs.
Nguyen fled to the United States after escaping from a Vietnamese prison in 1982.
In June 1999, the Vietnamese government issued an international order that cited Nguyen for his role behind terrorist attacks on Vietnamese Embassies worldwide, including in Cambodia and Thailand.
Hanoi has also accused him of attempting to blow up various state facilities in Vietnam, including a prominent statue of Vietnam's founding leader Ho Chi Minh.
Why Nguyen came to Seoul isn't clear. Some reports say that Nguyen was on a fund-raising campaign against Vietnam, while others say he was on a trip representing the U.S. International Mission to Fight Human Trafficking, an organization that he said to have founded.
(aibang@heraldm.com)
2 comments:
I wish Mr.Chanh good luck! The Com.Viet have got to go!
I think he's a terrorist. A terrorist is a terrorist, no matter which side he takes. He should be sent to Quantanamo and tortured.
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