Americans convicted in Vietnam

2006-11-11 07:24

Ho Chi Minh City - Seven people, including three American citizens, were convicted by a Vietnamese court on terrorism charges on Friday, after being accused of trying to take over radio airwaves and calling for an uprising against the government.

A judge sentenced thethe seven to 15 months in prison, with credit for time served.

They are expected to be freed within a month, with the Americans required to leave the country within 10 days of their release.

The defendants, all of Vietnamese descent, had been jailed without charges for more than a year, prompting Washington to pressure Hanoi to move forward.

United States President George W Bush and secretary of state Condoleezza Rice plan to visit Vietnam next week for the 21-nation Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation summit.

Both countries were eager to resolve the case before Vietnam's biggest-ever international event begins.

Punishment could have ranged from 12 years in prison to execution, but prosecutors sought lesser terms, saying the defendants had repented and had no previous criminal records.

Lenient sentence

It is unusual for Vietnam to give a lenient sentence for national security crimes, especially in such a high-profile case.

But the quick resolution to the diplomatically sensitive trial could end a distraction from Apec and Vietnam's entrance into the world trade organisation (WTO), approved this week.

All on trial were accused of plotting to smuggle radio equipment into Vietnam to broadcast a call for a revolution to topple the government.

An indictment said the scheme was hatched by the Government of Free Vietnam, a California-based organisation that the Vietnamese government considers a terrorist group.

It is one of many anti-communist groups founded by Vietnamese refugees in the US.

The group is run by Chanh Huu "Tony" Nguyen, who is wanted in Vietnam for alleged failed plots to bomb the Vietnamese embassy in Thailand and buildings in Vietnam.

No previous criminal records

Nguyen, a US resident, was arrested on Vietnam's request in April while travelling in South Korea. He was held for three months before being released to the US.

Presiding Judge Vu Phi Long said the crimes were "particularly serious and encroached on national security".

But he said the defendants deserved leniency because they had expressed remorse, had no previous criminal records and were politically naive.

He said they had been dragged into the scheme by Chanh and his associates.

Prosecutors say the defendants had set up an adoption agency in Cambodia as a front to disguise their plans.

Those convicted Friday were: Thuong Nguyen Foshee, 58, of Florida; Le Van Binh, 31, of Florida; and Huynh Bich Lien, 51, of California; Vietnamese nationals Tran Dat Phuong, 65; brothers Ho Van Giau, 59, and Ho Van Hien, 38, and Cao Tri, 35. Cao Tri is a US resident.

The Vietnamese defendants were also sentenced to three years of probation.

- AP