Thai Court Rules To Extradite Dissident

[Jai Dee]

Thai court rules to extradite dissident

Ly Tong, a South Vietnamese air force veteran who later became a U.S. citizen, arrives at Criminal Court in Bangkok,Thailand Thursday, Sept. 7, 2006. The court ruled Thursday to extradite Tong to face charges of slandering the Vietnamese govenment and violating national security. Tong hijacked a plane from Thailand in 2000 and dropped anti-communist pamphlets in Ho Chi Minh City during former U.S. President Bill Clinton's visit to Vietnam. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

BANGKOK, Thailand -- A Thai court decided Thursday to extradite a high-profile Vietnamese dissident to face charges of violating airspace for a stunt that involved hijacking a plane and dropping 50,000 anti-communist leaflets over Ho Chi Minh City.

Ly Tong, a South Vietnamese air force veteran who later became a U.S. citizen, hijacked the twin-engine plane from Thailand in November 2000. The leaflet dropping coincided with a visit to Vietnam by former President Clinton.

Tong, who had hijacked planes before to spread his political message, was arrested after returning to Thailand and later sentenced to five years in prison for violating Thai airspace.

The Vietnamese government sent an extradition request to Thailand in December 2004 charging Tong with slandering the Hanoi government and violating the territorial security of Vietnam.

The Thai court did not consider the slander charge, deeming it a political offense. Thailand does not extradite people to face trial on political charges.

The court ruled, however, that there was "sufficient reason" to extradite Tong to face trial in Vietnam, ruling that "the national security offense is not a political offense."

Tong had argued in court that his leaflet dropping was political, not criminal, and urged Thailand not to follow through with the extradition. Tong also insisted that he had not hijacked the plane, but had hired it for a flying lesson and then took over as pilot.

"This is a crazy court, a crazy justice system," Tong said as he was led out of the court by police with his ankles shackled. "I did not hijack!"

He vowed to appeal the decision within a 15-day deadline.

In December, California State Assemblyman Van Thai Tran led a delegation to Thailand to pressure for Tong's transfer to the United States, saying he had served more than one-third of his prison term - a requirement under a Thai-U.S. treaty.

Tong had sought refuge in the United States after the Vietnam War ended in 1975.

In 1992, he hijacked a Vietnamese Airlines plane and forced the pilot to fly over Ho Chi Minh City as he dropped anti-communist leaflets. He then parachuted from the plane and was captured by Vietnamese authorities and imprisoned.

He was released and returned to the United States in 1998, whereupon he rented an aircraft to drop anti-communist leaflets over Havana, Cuba.

His audacious, self-appointed missions have made him a folk hero among parts of the overseas Vietnamese community as well as in die-hard anti-communist circles.

"I went there to save my country, not harm my country. When I dropped the leaflets in Vietnam, I harmed the Communist Party," he testified last month.

Source: Associated Press - 7 September 2006

[Jai Dee]

Court extradites Ly Tong to Vietnam

Criminal Court ruled on Thursday to extradite high-profile Vietnamese dissident, Ly Tong, to face charges of violating airspace for a stunt that involved hijacking a plane and dropping 50,000 anti-communist leaflets over Ho Chi Minh City.

Tong, a South Vietnamese air force veteran who later became a US citizen, hijacked the twin-engine plane from Thailand in 2000. The leaflet dropping coincided with a visit to Vietnam by then-US President Bill Clinton.

Tong, who had hijacked planes before to spread his political leaflets message, was arrested after landing back in Thailand and later sentenced to prison. He served five years in a Thai prison for the hijacking.

The Vietnamese government sent an extradition request to Thailand in December 2004 charging Tong with slandering the Hanoi government and violating the territorial security of Vietnam.

The Thai court did not consider the slander charge, deeming it a political offense. Thailand does not extradite people to face trial on political charges.

The court ruled "there is sufficient reason to extradite the defendant to face trial in Vietnam," deciding that "the national security offense is not a political offense."

Tong had argued in court that his leaflet-dropping was purely political, not criminal, and urged Thailand not to follow through with the extradition. Tong also insisted that he had not hijacked the plane, but had hired it for a flying lesson and then took over as pilot.

He vowed to appeal the decision within a 15-day deadline.

Source: The Nation - 7 September 2006

[astral]

He hijcked a plane and was only charged with "violating airspace".

I cannot believe what I am reading..............

[Jai Dee]

Ly Tong, a South Vietnamese air force veteran who later became a US citizen, gestures from his cell at Bangkok Criminal Court yesterday.

Source: The Nation - 8 September 2006

[jdinasia]

He hijcked a plane and was only charged with "violating airspace".

I cannot believe what I am reading..............

Tong, who had hijacked planes before to spread his political leaflets message, was arrested after landing back in Thailand and later sentenced to prison. He served five years in a Thai prison for the hijacking.

...

The court ruled "there is sufficient reason to extradite the defendant to face trial in Vietnam," deciding that "the national security offense is not a political offense."

Tong had argued in court that his leaflet-dropping was purely political, not criminal, and urged Thailand not to follow through with the extradition. Tong also insisted that he had not hijacked the plane, but had hired it for a flying lesson and then took over as pilot.

[sriracha john]

UPDATE... with a reversal by a higher court... NO extradition

Thai court: No extradition for dissident

BANGKOK, Thailand — A Thai appeals court overturned a decision to extradite a high-profile Vietnamese dissident who faced charges of violating Vietnam's airspace by hijacking a plane and dropping 50,000 anti-communist leaflets over Ho Chi Minh City.

The court ruled that Ly Tong's act was a political offense, rather than a security threat, and Thailand does not extradite people to face trial on political charges. It overturned a September decision by a lower court and declared Tong a free man.

"Vietnam wants to take the defendant back to prosecute him for a political offense," said Judge Wisarut Sirisingh. "What he did caused no harm to the territorial security of Vietnam."

Tong, a South Vietnamese air force veteran who later became a U.S. citizen, said he plans to return to the United States.

He hijacked the twin-engine plane from Thailand in November 2000 and circled the city four times as he dropped leaflets that urged the people to rise against Vietnam's communist government, Wisarut said.

Tong, who had hijacked planes before to spread his political message, was arrested after landing back in Thailand and has spent the last seven years in a Thai prison.

The leaflet dropping coincided with a visit to Vietnam by then-U.S. President Bill Clinton. The Vietnamese government sent an extradition request to Thailand in December 2004 charging Tong with slandering the Hanoi government and violating the territorial security of Vietnam.

Tong argued his leaflet-dropping was purely political, not criminal, and urged Thailand not to follow through with the extradition. Tong also insisted he had not hijacked the plane, but hired it for a flying lesson and then took over as pilot.

In December 2005, California State Assemblyman Van Thai Tran led a delegation to Thailand to press for Tong's transfer to the United States, saying he had served more than one-third of his prison term — a requirement under a Thai-U.S. treaty.

In 1992, he hijacked a Vietnamese Airlines airliner and forced the pilot to fly over Ho Chi Minh City as he dropped anti-communist leaflets. He then parachuted from the plane and was captured by Vietnamese authorities and imprisoned.

He was released and returned to the United States in 1998, whereupon he rented an aircraft to drop anti-communist leaflets over Havana, Cuba.

- Associated Press

Edited April 3, 2007 by sriracha john