Trial, Sentence of Refugee in Shooting

The trial of a Vietnamese-American named Be Tu, who admittedly shot and intended to kill his fellow countryman, came to an end last month when the court sentenced him to seven years in prison. However, there will never be an end for his victim, Khanh Van, who is still living in hiding.

Last week, a group calling itself liberators for a free Vietnam vowed retaliation for Be Tu’s sentencing. Will there ever be an end to this senseless killing in the name of communism? When will these extremist liberators ever learn that their actions are comparable to the terrorist tactic employed by the Viet Cong.

I am Vietnamese and I abhor communism, especially the practice adopted by the Viet Cong. These brutal animals had driven millions of people into death and total deprivation for more than 30 years. They chased three generations of my family from the northern part of Vietnam to South Vietnam and into the China Sea as boat people. And in this path many encountered imprisonment, torture and death. Communism in Vietnam is a regime of total government control through terrorism, a complete system deprived of any kind of freedom. I can understand the hate for communism.

But we are in America now. We fled Vietnam in search of freedom. We cannot threaten to kill our fellow countryman because he differs with us in his thinking, religious activities or even political advocacy. To do so is a great threat to freedom of speech, and it reduces us to the same level and practice that the Viet Cong used on us for so long.

Khanh Van made the statement: “ . . . We should be looking into doing business with Vietnam. . . , “ and for that he was labeled a Communist. The United States has been doing business with China and the Soviet Union for many years now. Does that make President Bush a Communist?

Please think about the future of our kids growing up in America. Teach them about the danger of drugs, the importance of education, and the atrocities of war and Communism. Let’s put our energy into making America the greatest, strongest and freest country of them all. This will be the ultimate way to combat communism everywhere. Stop the senseless killing. Don’t we Vietnamese suffer enough?

T. NGUYEN

Newport Beach