Protest-Spawning Merchant to Leave

The Westminster merchant whose display of Communist icons sparked nearly two months of protests by Vietnamese Americans, will give up his fight to stay in business at his Little Saigon location, his attorney said Monday.

Police raided Truong Van Tran’s Hi Tek TV and VCR last week, confiscating more than 17,000 videotapes they said appeared to be illegal copies of Asian soap operas. Tran’s attorney, Nancy Kaufman, said that situation plus ongoing demonstrations at the store have convinced Tran that he will not be able to return.

“He’s been dragged out of there, and his stuff has been taken away,” Kaufman said. “It’s obvious the mob will never allow him to return, so continuing to fight for that will probably be impossible.”

That does not mean Tran is abandoning his principles, Kaufman said. He will continue to fight in court for his right to hang the Communist flag and picture of Ho Chi Minh, she said, and he may want to open a business elsewhere.

Tran is also considering a lawsuit against protesters, the city of Westminster and his landlord, all of whom violated his 1st Amendment rights, she said.

Meanwhile, protest leaders said they plan to travel to Sacramento on Wednesday to lobby state legislators to fund a Vietnamese community center in Orange County and put restrictions on trade with Vietnam.

The trip is part of an effort by protest leaders to build on their momentum and the unity established by the demonstrations at Tran’s store, where they have maintained an around-the-clock vigil since January.

Van Thai Tran, an attorney for the protesters, said the group will express to state legislators its concerns about human rights and labor conditions in Vietnam, and push for a code of conduct for companies that trade with Vietnam.