American Extradited To Thailand To Face Terrorism Charges

[sriracha john]

Baldwin Park Man Extradited To Face Terror Charges

CBS LOS ANGELES - A Baldwin Park man has been extradited to Thailand to face terror charges for allegedly trying to blow up the Vietnamese embassy in Bangkok in 2001, the U.S. Attorney's Office confirmed Monday.

Van Duc Vo, 46, had been jailed at the Metropolitan Detention Center in downtown Los Angeles since his arrest five years ago after getting off a plane at Santa Ana's John Wayne Airport.

Vo, a Vietnam native who became a naturalized U.S. citizen, had recently sought the help of U.S. Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice in blocking his extradition for the failed bomb attempt, which he contends was part of a political uprising against the Communist government of Vietnam.

Vo argued that because he was initially charged in the United States in connection with the Bangkok bombing attempt, his due process rights were violated when the United States instead opted to move into extradition proceedings.

Vo's attorney, Michael Mayock, said he was told by a friend of his client that Vo reached him by phone to say he was being moved suddenly on Dec. 1 from the downtown federal lockup, where he had been held while fighting extradition.

U.S. Attorney's Office spokesman Thom Mrozek confirmed that Vo did leave the United States earlier this month, and was sent to Thailand.

The move came despite a petition Mayock filed in October with the Secretary of State. In a letter filed along with the petition, Vo wrote that he disarmed the two bombs in backpacks placed near the embassy gates.

"It was a political message coordinated to occur on the day celebrating the army of South Vietnam," Vo wrote. "As a Buddhist, I hold life sacred and would personally do nothing that would cause the loss of life."

Vo further stated that he feared that Thailand, where a coup took place in September, would deliver him to Vietnam.

As of Monday, Mayock said he has not received a response to the petition from the Secretary of State's office. He said he has heard "nothing to confirm what's happened" through official channels.

A State Department official referred questions about Vo to the court system.

In May, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a lower court's ruling that Vo should be extradited to Thailand. The panel held that the actions of the Garden Grove-based group Government of Free Vietnam, to which Vo belongs, do not constitute an official uprising against that country.

For Vo to block his extradition using that argument, he would also have had to show that his crime was committed within the borders of Vietnam, the ruling states. That requirement is intended to prevent use of a political exception to extradition by "those seeking to spread internal conflicts to neighboring countries," the ruling states.

The June 19, 2001, bomb attempt involved two packages, a box full of ammonium nitrate and diesel fuel that was left outside the wall of the embassy, and a backpack filled with the explosive that was thrown over a wall. The bombs were placed by an accomplice of Vo's, and were wired to a cell-phone detonator, but failed to explode when the device was triggered, according to the ruling.

- CBS News Los Angeles

[sriracha john]

Interesting background story involving the suspect. Apparently he was arrested in the Philippines in 2001 for attempting to bomb the Vietnamese Embassy in Manila shortly after his attempt to do so in Bangkok... and then bought his way out of jail:

Bureau of Immigration officials probed for release of alleged terrorist

Three ranking immigration officials are under investigation for the alleged illegal release of a Vietnamese-American man held on terrorism-related charges, the justice department said Thursday.

Vo Van Duc, now about 45 years old, walked free from a detention cell last year and disappeared at Manila airport with a Philippine passport provided following illegal release orders signed by the immigration officials, Rep. Robert Barbers of Surigao del Norte has alleged.

The justice department said it issued summonses to associate immigration commissioners Teodoro Belarmente, Jose Cabochan and Roy Almoro to testify Friday before a fact-finding body looking into the legislator's allegations.

The department also ordered immigration bureau to produce "relevant documents relative to the summary deportation of Mr. Vo Van Duc."

Duc, the alleged leader of the Free Vietnam Revolutionary Group, was arrested at a house in a Manila suburb on Aug. 30, 2001 while allegedly assembling a bomb with which to attack the Vietnamese embassy here during Vietnamese national day.

A Japanese woman and a Swiss man of Vietnamese origin were also arrested in the same house.

Barbers alleged last week that the three immigration officials signed a "summary deportation order" authorizing the expulsion of Duc from the Philippines even though there was no permission from the courts, where Duc and the two other foreigners are facing criminal charges over the supposed bombing plot.

It was unclear if Duc left the country and where he was now. Barbers has alleged that the three immigration officials under investigation were actually paid off to spring him from jail.

"I'm embarrassed [by the report], but we still have to consider whether its true or not," Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez told reporters.

He said he himself had "heard of some allegations, there were anomalies, but its not as widespread as this," he said.

Barbers has alleged that the three immigration officials were also paid off to engineer the illegal deportation of Chinese detainee Zhang Du in May last year.

Zhang was arrested by police on Sept. 27, 2001 and charged in court for kidnapping.

- AFP, November 23, 2006

Edited December 12, 2006 by sriracha john

[Sing_Sling]

I see no problem in the extradition, is that your point in posting this?

[sriracha john]

Anti-communist activist back to Thailand in embassy bomb case

LOS ANGELES - A Vietnam-born American, anti-communist activist has been extradited from Los Angeles to Thailand to face charges of attempting to bomb the Vietnamese Embassy in Bangkok.

Van Duc Vo was arrested in October 2001 after returning from a trip to Bangkok. Authorities there accuse him of placing a backpack full of explosives in front of the Vietnamese embassy and tossing a bomb over the compound's fence.

According to the Thai government, the bombs were supposed to be activated by cell phones, but they failed to detonate.

Vo contends he planted two bombs as a political act but decided at the last minute to defuse the devices.

Vo was flown to Thailand December first after Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice signed an order to extradite him.

- Associated Press

===================================================================

Vo Duc Van

Vo Duc Van (aka Nguyen Nha Trang) is a Vietnamese-American, born on December 20, 1959, in My Tho, South Vietnam.

Biography

In 1980, he escaped from Vietnam by boat because he wanted a democratic government for Vietnam and feared for his life when Communist agents urged him to calm his political platform or face persecution. He was permitted to resettle in the United States. He attended California State University, and earned a bachelor in civil engineering.

In 1993, he became a member of The Government of Free Vietnam and a member of the Coalition Political Party of Free Vietnam and the Free Vietnam Youth.

On October 12, 2001, he was arrested by the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) at the John Wayne airport for the attempted bombing of the Vietnamese embassy in Bangkok, Thailand. His alleged co-accomplices Pham Nguyen Thanh Hien Si, (Tony) Anh Tuan Tran, and (Philip) Phan Thanh Binh were arrested in Thailand and awaiting trial.

His arrest led to the Communist government of Vietnam, to notify that United States to shut down the Government of Free Vietnam, which is led by Prime Minister Nguyen Huu Chanh.

The Vietnamese community held numerous rallies in support of Vo Duc Van against his deportation to Thailand for his alleged involvement in the attempted bombing of the Vietnamese embassy in Bangkok.

http://www.answers.com/topic/vo-duc-van

===================================================================

Vo Duc Van Official WebSite

http://www.voducvan.net/

===================================================================

Edited December 12, 2006 by sriracha john

[Sing_Sling]

Still don't get your post - do you have an opinion on this?

Still looks like a legit extradition. The guy intended to set off a bomb in Bangkok - imagine how many people could have been killed, maimed etc . . . You could have been one of the dead or injured, or your kids, or my children or family.

[sriracha john]

for infomational purposes, Sing... it's news.

US citizen in Bangkok bomb plot extradited

Los Angeles - A US citizen accused of trying to bomb the Vietnamese embassy in Bangkok five years ago has been extradited to Thailand, US justice officials confirmed Monday.

Vietnam-born Vo Duc Van, 46, is alleged to have been part of a group that planted two bombs outside the embassy in June, 2001 in a protest against his homeland's communist rulers.

He was arrested stepping off a plane at John Wayne Airport in southern California five years ago and has been in custody ever since, fighting extradition on the grounds his act was politically motivated.

US justice officials confirmed to AFP Monday that Van has now been extradited to Thailand.

"He has actually left the country," a spokesman said. "I believe the plane left the United States on December 1."

Lawyers for Van petitioned US Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice in October, arguing against his extradition.

Van wrote in a letter accompanying the petition that he had disarmed the two bombs and had merely intended to make a political statement.

"It was a political message coordinated to occur on the day celebrating the army of South Vietnam," Van wrote. "As a Buddhist, I hold life sacred and would personally do nothing that would cause the loss of life."

Van said he feared Thai authorities would deliver him to Vietnam.

In May a US appeals court upheld a lower court ruling that Vo should be extradited to Thailand.

The panel ruled that the actions of the US-based group Government of Free Vietnam, to which Van belongs, did not constitute an official uprising against the Southeast Asian country.

The June 19, 2001, bomb attempt involved two packages, one left outside the wall of the embassy and another which was tossed into the compound.

The bombs were allegedly placed by an accomplice of Van's, and were wired to a cell-phone detonator but failed to explode when the device was triggered, the US appeal court ruling noted.

- The Nation

[Sing_Sling]

I see.

Very marginally Thai-related, however.

I have often wondered why so many 'revolutionaries' nowadays, be they from Timor, Iran, Vietnam, Cuba etc . . . have their cushy so-called 'governments in exile' and protest in their new homes and attack embassies, businesses etc . . . when the most effective means would be undermining the targeted government from within.

Reminds me of the Champagne Socialists . . . a type of Marie-Antoinette Working Class hero.

[sriracha john]

I see.

Very marginally Thai-related, however.

really?

The pending trial in Thailand for a bomber attacking a Bangkok embassy isn't Thai-related?

ok, if you feel so, but I would tend to disagree... but nevermind.

[sriracha john]

It sure is getting a lot of coverage, both locally and internationally.

Suspect Vo Duc Van extradited to Thailand

A Vietnamese-born US citizen accused of trying to bomb the Vietnamese embassy in Bangkok five years ago has been extradited to Thailand, Thai officials said yesterday. Vo Duc Van, extradited from the US on Dec 1, was arrested on Oct 12, 2001 by the US Federal Bureau of Investigation at California's John Wayne airport for the attempted bombing of the Vietnamese embassy on June 19 that year.

Thai police have charged the 46-year-old Vo Duc Van and asked the Office of the Attorney-General to prosecute him.

Continued here:

http://www.bangkokpost.com/News/13Dec2006_news08.php

[Sing_Sling]

I see.

Very marginally Thai-related, however.

really?

The pending trial in Thailand for a bomber attacking a Bangkok embassy isn't Thai-related?

ok, if you feel so, but I would tend to disagree... but nevermind.

A Vietnamese, living in the US.

But yes, the ties to Thailand are there. Agreed.

Still don't see why he didn't do his deed in Vietnam.

[pampal]

He should be sent to Guantanamo for extended debriefing.

And then put on trial in Vietnam. As an American citizen he no longer enjoys any civil or human rights after the Patriot Act. The extradition is totally legit, this guy is a terrorist, there is no war anymore between the US and Vietnam so he was actually perpetrating a deed which if successful would have hurt US-Vietnam relations.

[Sing_Sling]

Not sure about Guantanamo . . . actually, I think the place should be closed.

Did he plan and try to execute a terrorits act? Yes.

[sriracha john]

UPDATE

Trial opens in Thailand of American accused of trying to bomb Hanoi's embassy

BANGKOK, Thailand — An American accused of trying to bomb Vietnam's embassy in Thailand said at the start of his trial Monday that he had taken only "symbolic" actions on behalf of democracy.

Thai authorities accuse Vo Van Duc, 47, of placing a backpack containing explosives in front of Vietnam's embassy and tossing a small bomb over its wall on June 19, 2001. Both devices failed to explode.

"The symbolic act — (with) which I am charged — I am confident will be viewed by those living in the free and democratic countries around the world as patriotic in the fight for a free and democratic Vietnam," Duc said in a statement distributed to reporters.

Duc, a naturalized U.S. citizen who fled communist Vietnam in 1978, is a member of the California-based Government of Free Vietnam, an anti-communist group that Vietnam considers a terrorist organization. The communist government in Hanoi has called him a "ringleader" of the bombing plot.

He was arrested in the United States in October 2001 after returning from a trip to Bangkok.

A resident of Baldwin Park, California, Duc was charged in the United States with conspiracy to use a weapon of mass destruction. U.S. prosecutors decided to drop the charges after he agreed not to fight extradition to Thailand in December.

Duc faces charges of illegal possession of explosive devices, which carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment, and attempting to bomb an embassy.

Worasit Piriyawiboon, his lawyer, said Duc pleaded not guilty. Worasit also petitioned the Bangkok Criminal Court to drop the case, saying Duc should not be tried for the same offenses he was charged with in the United States.

The court said it would decide on Worasit's motions at its next hearing on April 30.

- Associated Press

[Ijustwannateach]

"Symbolic" would have meant something that didn't have any damaging effects in the real world- either physical or emotional (terror). His action had clear terrorist qualities, and they'd be wise to punish him as an example- especially in terms of current events. He won't get off lightly.

[sriracha john]

Accused would-be bomber of Vietnam embassy on trial in Thailand

Thailand’s Southern Criminal Court Monday continued proceedings against Vo Van Duc, a Vietnamese-born US citizen, for the attempted bombing of the Vietnamese Embassy in Bangkok in June 2001.

The April 30 hearing was the second court session for Duc since he went on trial after being extradited from the United States to Thailand in December 2006. The previous hearing was held on April 9 this year.

The court asked Duc’s lawyer, Worasit Piriyawiboon, to continue to provide documents and evidence at the third criminal proceedings due to take place on June 29, 2007.

Duc is accused attempting to bomb the Vietnamese Embassy in Thailand on June 19, 2001 and was arrested in the US by the Federal Bureau of Investigation in October 2001.

On request from Thailand, the US agreed to extradite Duc to Thailand for trial in December 2006. The spokesperson of the Vietnam Foreign Ministry welcomed the US decision and affirmed it believed Duc was the ringleader of the failed bombing.

- Thanh Nien Daily (Vietnam)

[alexth]

Smart move, why keep fighting to keep terrorists in US, when they already have plenty of them down there and they could touch the thai govt's heart in order to exchange him for others that would be wanted in the states.

[kmart]

He made an extremely powerful ANFO truck bomb (Ammonium Nitrate Fertilizer c/w Diesel Oil) of the kind that was used by Timothy McVeigh to demolish the Oklahoma City Building, and also the type of bomb initially used to try and topple the WTC in 1993. (It blew a huge crater in the foundations) So I can't see the US having a massive amount of sympathy for him.

If the bomb had detonated, the death toll of innocent civilians could have been very high indeed. Let him rot in jail for me.

[larvidchr]

An other one bites the dust

[richard10365]

I think if they let him go he will do it again. They should put him away for the rest of his life.

[sriracha john]

UPDATE

Failed terrorist gets 12 years

The Criminal Court yesterday handed down a 12-year jail term to Vo Van Duc for attempting to bomb the Vietnamese embassy in Bangkok in 2001. Duc said he would appeal the "inhumane sentence". The American was found guilty of placing a backpack containing explosives in front of Vietnam's embassy and tossing a small bomb over its wall on June 19, 2001. The bombs were wired to a cell-phone detonator, but failed to explode. He was arrested in the US in October the same year and was later extradited to Thailand on the request of Thai authorities. He confessed earlier this month that he was involved in the bomb plot, but called it "a symbolic act" that was not meant to harm anyone. He said he wanted to call the world's attention to the plight of the Vietnamese people living under what he said was a repressive communist government. The court yesterday rejected a request by Duc that his detention period in the US be deducted from the jail term.

Continued:

http://www.bangkokpost.com/topstories/tops...s.php?id=123021

[DamianMavis]

I see no problem in the extradition, is that your point in posting this?

<deleted>, looking for an argument that badly buddy? The guy is posting NEWS about THAILAND like many people always do here. DUH Sheesh, some people. Way to make yourself look a fool.

Damian Mavis

[ZukiSuzuki]

I see no problem in the extradition, is that your point in posting this?

<deleted>, looking for an argument that badly buddy? The guy is posting NEWS about THAILAND like many people always do here. DUH Sheesh, some people. Way to make yourself look a fool.

Damian Mavis

Come on, your responding to something said nearly a year ago.

[sriracha john]

I see no problem in the extradition, is that your point in posting this?

<deleted>, looking for an argument that badly buddy? The guy is posting NEWS about THAILAND like many people always do here. DUH Sheesh, some people. Way to make yourself look a fool.

Damian Mavis

Come on, your responding to something said nearly a year ago.

It's never too late to make a very valid point. Those comments from Sing_Sling have stood out in my memory as several of the most bizarre statements made over the past year.