Communist Vietnam spurring Little Saigon protests?
April 16th, 2008, 1:45 pm · 18 Comments · posted by Martin Wisckol, Politics reporter
One of the allegations about the relentless protesting outside Nguoi Viet Daily News in Little Saigon is that it is actually being fanned by agents from communist Vietnam — that they are intent on disrupting the community. In other words, it’s the exact opposite of the protesters’ claim that they’re anti-communist.
In today’s edition of Nguoi Viet Daily News, a quote from District Attorney Tony Rackauckas added fuel to allegations that Vietnam is behind the trouble.
“The District Attorney’s Office cannot say who really is behind the demonstration, but I’m sure that it would benefit the Vietnamese government if the community breaks into pieces and doesn’t have one voice,” he said in the paper.
Here’s the translated version of the Nguoi Viet story, which was emailed to me.
O.C. District Attorney’s office to closely follow protest at Nguoi Viet News
By Do Dzung/Nguoi VietWESTMINSTER, California (NV) - On his April 15 visit to the Nguoi Viet Daily News, Orange County District Attorney Tony Rackauckas said his office would keep a close watch on the demonstration occurring at the newspaper site.
“This is pretty serious. The District Attorney’s Office will closely look into it. We need to keep everyone peaceful and not violating the law,” Rackauckas said at a meeting with board members of Nguoi Viet News.
He said he knows the basics of the protest, triggered by a controversial photo in Nguoi Viet’s Tet magazine for which the newspaper has apologized and has taken necessary steps to meet the demonstrators’ demands, though individuals continue to protest.
Rackauckas said he came to the paper, hoping to learn more about the issue.
Dat Huy Phan, publisher, said he couldn’t understand why “people are still protesting, and maybe that someone behind the scenes is pulling the strings. This could harm and even paralyze the whole community.”
“Some demonstrators even blocked our entrance and exit, threatening our customers. Some among them allegedly attacked and harassed our staff. I also have been threatened. Our staff feels they are not safe,” said Anh Do, editor.
After the briefing, Rackaukas shared his concerns. “The District Attorney’s Office cannot say who really is behind the demonstration, but I’m sure that it would benefit the Vietnamese government if the community breaks into pieces and doesn’t have one voice,” he said.
Rackauckas continued firmly, “If they [the demonstrators] violate the law, we can prosecute, even when they just trespass on the newspaper’s property. We must keep law and order. Any kind of violence is against the law.”
Demonstrations against Nguoi Viet Daily News began Jan. 26, targeting a photo of a foot spa splashed with the colors of the South Vietnamese flag which protesters found “offensive.” As a result, Nguoi Viet has publicly apologized to its readers and took disciplinary actions against editors responsible for the publication of the picture. The paper has since recalled the Tet magazines.
However, some individuals continue to protest and have committed a number of unlawful acts. As a result, Nguoi Viet has filed a lawsuit against protest leaders Trong Doan, Ky Ngo, Cung The Tran, among others.
Trong Doan was later arrested by Westminster police on the grounds that he allegedly attacked a Nguoi Viet employee. Doan has been released on bail pending trial on May 1.
Presiding over the case, the Superior Court of Orange County, in response to the newspaper’s petition, issued a preliminary injunction April 8 enjoining demonstrators from “engaging in any acts of violence against any person known or believed to be an employee or customer of the Nguoi Viet Inc., including without limitation surrounding, assaulting with loudspeakers, and following and/or stalking said employees and customers.”
The demonstrators, according to the court order, are “restrained from vandalizing or threatening to damage real or personal property belonging to Nguoi Viet or its employees or customers,” according to the court order.
Demonstrators also are prohibited from “trespassing or interfering with the use of any real property in the possession of Nguoi Viet Inc., including interfering with automobile or pedestrian use of the front and rear parking lots.”
April 16th, 2008 at 2:01 pm
Yeah, that’s a commie behind that bush. Commie here, commie there, commie everywhere!
April 16th, 2008 at 2:17 pm
this is possible given the communist style of operation.
just look at china and russia.
April 16th, 2008 at 2:40 pm
Do Dzung - please double check your spelling of Tony Rackackhaus’ name. you have it spelled 3 different ways throughout the article and it really is embarassing that a large scale newspaper such as Nguoi Viet would make that error and send to the Register. as a matter of fact, i am often finding misspellings and typos throughout Ngoui Viet and it becomes a game for my siblings and i to see who can find the first typo…….pretty embarassing……
April 16th, 2008 at 3:22 pm
This is pretty simple. What do these protesters want? An apology was given. The editors for that editions were fired. Now what do they want?????
April 16th, 2008 at 3:48 pm
To Common Sense: Being that you read the Nguoi Viet Paper, I will assume you are Vietnamese. Question, why do you buy it if it has become a game for you? Also, I have to agree with my co workers, Vietnamese people aren’t funny or original. Your punchline was weak and old, replace Nguoi Viet with OC Register and it’s a daily stab in the regular comment section. Get over it!
April 16th, 2008 at 4:21 pm
Ignorant Vietnamese people collecting welfare with nothing to do.
April 16th, 2008 at 5:02 pm
Yup, this is the same tactic the VC had used during the VN War and yet these protesters do not know better. They should be put in the reeducation camp.
April 16th, 2008 at 6:33 pm
Bolsavik,
With a name like yours, of course, you would mock anyone and anything that brings up the real issue of Communism. People know your Left leaning ways and your blogs and posts reveal that. Why don’t you “Right” up a little bit for the sake of balance and fairness before you get cast away for being irrelevant and extreme? There is still time for you to be taken seriously if you since you are still very new to this whole reporting business.
Make no mistake about this, the Commies in Hanoi have everything to gain politically when the exiled community is divided and suspicious of each other. Wouldn’t you want to divide and cause turmoil in the overseas community, which is your political opponent and causing problem to you, if you are sitting in the big chair in VN? Of course!
April 16th, 2008 at 7:38 pm
Well, I for one certainly hope that the protests are not fueled by communists in Vietnam. I think that protest is a valuable tool for change. If the protester’s demands have been satisfied then it only hurts their cause for them to continue. They make it harder for protest to end in change in the future because why change if the protest will continue anyway. It appears that they want to put the business out of business by opressing it. I cant agree with that even though I want to sympathize with the South Vietnamese community and did supported the protesters actions initially because I support free speech. Protest is just a poor tool for opression. I hope they go home and find another cause to work for, there are so many good ones that need a pair of helping hands.
April 17th, 2008 at 6:24 am
Kudos to Mr. D.A. for reaching out to the Vietnamese community. It’s nice to see him interacting with other groups unlike other elected officials currently being targeted by the Feds for corruption.
Speaking of corruption, why haven’t the Vietnamese elected officials done anything? From everything I read, seems they’re too busy buying votes. Can’t you follow the laws of our country?
There seems to be mob rule in Little Saigon oppressing free press, with mobs based here or far away or both, like other ethnic communities. It’s important to have the D.A. monitor this.
To the poster called “common sense” - In your own posting there are typos / incorrect grammar. Were you educated in our country or are you Communist from Vietnam?
The Commies and Commie protesters, I have one word for you: DEPORTATION.
April 19th, 2008 at 12:16 am
Are you people stupid? Communists behind the protests? Communist conspiracies? What a joke! A lot of the major players from Little Saigon doing international business are over in Vietnam right now bribing officials in order to set up businesses that take advantage of the cheap slave labor of their former countrymen!
Why do you think not one of the local Vietnamese politicians will speak out against their rich Vietnamese supporters doing business with the Communists? Since the recent lifting of sanctions against Vietnam and the opening of trade relations, every major hitter and wannabe hitter in Little Saigon is flying over to Vietnam to take advantage of the slave labor. They want to become obscenely rich like the Chinese who exploit their own countrymen.
April 19th, 2008 at 12:19 am
And now what, the Little Saigon politicians and power brokers have recruited the OC District Attorney to act as their hired goon?
April 19th, 2008 at 12:34 am
This protest has little to do with the picture of the foot bath itself. And I don’t think the protesters have a problem with what Nguoi Viet does as an newspaper establishment and voice for the community.
It has more to do with the sense of betrayal many expatriates feel about those who use the newspaper for the advancement of their agendas and businesses dealings with a Communist country and government that killed their loved ones, forced them to flee their homes, and caused them to lose everything, including their homeland. The newspaper itself is innocent, but since they are the voice of all, including those who pander to Communist Vietnam, they have become the the focal point of people’s anger. Rather than attack the real culprits, they attack the messenger.
April 19th, 2008 at 12:48 am
It’s a shame that there are those in the Little Saigon community who are more than happy to sell out their own countrymen to make it big. Eventually, they will sell out this country.
I have no doubt these sellouts will eventually stoop to the level of some Chinese here in America and start selling technological secrets to Communist thieves. The reason why they congregate in their own communities is because they do not want to be a part of the greater whole of America. They have no sense of American identity, patriotism, or loyalty. Of course the racists in OC make it even easier for them to feel disconnected from the greater whole.
Mark my words. As more and more business is done with Vietnam, there will come a day when a Vietnamese-American engineer or businessman will be arrested for selling military, government or technological trade secrets to the Communists. Maybe the OC District Attorney should keep a closer eye on them.
April 19th, 2008 at 4:41 am
their are only a hand full of them standing around like homeless gatherler,they are surely violater that do not represent our great comunity
April 20th, 2008 at 12:10 pm
Beware of Tony Lam, he is tight to communist. Maybe he is behind this protest for benefit to communist vn.
April 20th, 2008 at 8:15 pm
Or maybe is behind protest for for make benefit glorious nation of Kazakhstan
April 21st, 2008 at 8:12 pm
Do Dzung/Nguoi Viet:
…
After the briefing, Rackaukas shared his concerns. “The District Attorney’s Office cannot say who really is behind the demonstration, but I’m sure that it would benefit the Vietnamese government if the community breaks into pieces and doesn’t have one voice,” he said.
Should the Vietnamese community have one voice? This is America, not the country that I left behind.