Vietnam hails Ly Tong decision
HANOI - The Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs has welcomed a decision by Thailand’s court to extradite Ly Tong, accused of a security violation, Vietnam News Agency reported.
Answering questions by foreign journalists on Vietnam’s reaction to the Thai court decision dated on September 7, VNA quoted the ministry spokesman Le Dung as saying:
"We welcome the decision by the court of Thailand to extradite Ly Tong back to Vietnam.
"His actions have seriously violated Vietnam’s sovereignty, national security and laws, as well as international laws and treaties, and should be strictly punished.
"This decision absolutely suits Thai laws, Vietnamese laws and international laws, and it will help prevent similar actions in the future," Dung said.
Ly Tong, 58, a naturalised US citizen, was an Air Force pilot in the former South Vietnamese regime, defeated by the communits in April, 1975. He has been jailed in Thailand awaiting trial -- and now appeal -- on charges of hijacking a plane to Ho Chi Minh City.
On Thursday, the Criminal Court decided to extradite the Vietnamese-American, who dropped anti-Hanoi leaflets over southern Vietnam during the incident. The court pointed to Vietnam's assurance that Ly Tong would be tried under criminal law for violating border security and that it would not try him on political charges.
The former South Vietnamese air force officer has 15 days to appeal, failing which he would be sent to Vietnam in three months, the court said.
Ly Tong, 60, confirmed he would appeal. ''This is crazy justice,'' he said, leaving the courtroom in bare, shackled feet.
''I will appeal. Before, I didn't want to but now I have to since my people, my supporters want me to fight.''
The verdict came despite Ly Tong's bid for leniency.
''If I were to be extradited to Vietnam, the communist court will charge me with political offences and give me a life sentence,'' he said in written testimony.
The Criminal Court cited the reciprocity principle in the 1929 Extradition Act in reaching its decision.
The Foreign Ministry acted on Hanoi's request that Ly Tong be extradited, after the leadership dropped the political charge of anti-government propaganda brought against him initially.
His lawyer Worasit Piriyawiboon said he would appeal on the grounds that his client had a political objective when he violated Vietnamese air space.
On Nov 17, 2000, the former jet fighter pilot hired Teera Sukying, a pilot instructor from Bo Fai Flying Centre, to give him a flying lesson in a small, twin-engine aircraft.
After takeoff, Ly Tong pleaded for Captain Teera's help with the promise that he would get 561,000 baht. He then took the controls and headed for Ho Chi Minh City, over which he dropped 50,000 leaflets calling for an uprising against the communist government, just before a visit by former US president Bill Clinton.
The Bangkok Post - September 8, 2006.
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