Ly Tong case :Authorities intercept letter to His Majesty
A letter petitioning His Majesty the King was intercepted by authorities during the
trial of a former Vietnamese dissident, who allegedly commandeered a plane in
Prachuap Khiri Khan before dropping anti-communist leaflets over Ho Chi Minh City.
The letter was signed by Quinh Dao, a member of Amnesty International in Australia,
the Australia-Vietnam Human Rights Committee, and the Ly Tong Support
Committee based in Victoria, Australia.
It asked His Majesty to help secure the release of Ly Tong from detention at Rayong
prison, where he was being held pending the conclusion of his trial on hijacking and
immigration charges, intelligence sources said.
However, the petition was withheld as appeals were permitted only after a final
verdict had been given by the Supreme Court.
``Petitions cannot be processed until the case is settled in court,'' legal sources
confirmed.
Amnesty officials in Thailand and Australia denied the organisation had embarked
on a campaign to release Ly Tong.
A fighter pilot veteran of the Vietnam War, Ly Tong allegedly forced a flight
instructor to fly from Prachuap Khiri Khan over Cambodia to Ho Chi Minh City in
November 2000.
The suspect allegedly dropped anti-communist leaflets over the city during an
official visit by former US president Bill Clinton.
Ly Tong was scheduled to begin his testimony in the case on July 16, when he will
attempt to convince the court of his purported innocence, said his lawyer, Somsak
Samret.
By Achara Ashayagachat - The Bangkok Post - June 29, 2002.
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