Dao Minh Quan (L) and Pham Anh Dao - two members of the outlawed organisation Provisional National Government of Vietnam. (Photo: Ministry of Public Security)
Five members of the “Provisional National Government of Vietnam”, an outlawed organisation based in the United States, have been prosecuted in Vietnam on the charge of "terrorism against the people's government" and "activities aimed at overthrowing the people's government."
The Supreme People’s Procuracy recently issued an indictment prosecuting the five members of the terrorist organisation according to Article 84 of the 1999 Penal Code and Article 109 of the 2015 Penal Code.
The agency prosecuted Dao Minh Quan (also known as Dao Van) for the crimes of "Terrorism against the people's government" and "Activities aimed at overthrowing the people's government."
It also prosecuted Pham Anh Dao (also known as Lisa Pham) for the crime of "Terrorism against the people's government"; Huynh Thi Tham (Huynh Tammy Tham), Dao Kim Quang (Francis Andre Solvang, also known as Dao Van Tien), and Lam Ai Hue (Lam Kim Hue, also known as Hue Lam) for the crime of "Activities aimed at overthrowing the people's government".
The agency called on all five defendants to voluntarily surrender themselves at the offices of the Vietnamese Police or People's Procuracy in order to be eligible for the leniency policy and to exercise their right to legal defence in accordance with Article 60 of the 2015 Criminal Procedure Code.
The Ministry of Public Security of Vietnam previously announced that the so-called "Provisional National Government of Vietnam", formerly known as "New Democracy", is classified as a terrorist organisation.
This organisation is headquartered at 2807 Anaheim, CA 92814, United States, and is led and directed by Dao Minh Quan, who proclaims himself as the "Prime Minister" of the "Provisional National Government of Vietnam".
After its establishment, Quan and other leaders of the organisation traveled to Vietnamese refugee camps in Hong Kong and Southeast Asian countries to recruit members. These individuals were later repatriated to Vietnam to carry out terrorist and sabotage activities.
In 2015, the leadership of the "Provisional National Government of Vietnam" instructed its domestic network to make connections, recruit members, and form so-called "volunteer brigades" within Vietnam. These groups scouted locations for establishing bases, purchased weapons, and prepared for violent and terrorist acts, but were timely discovered and thwarted by Vietnamese security forces.
Two years later, the organisation intensified its recruitment, forming groups such as Phoenix, Cobra, Special Forces, and Dai Viet, with the aim of terrorism, sabotage, and assassinations of government officials. Two members, Phan Angel and Nguyen James Han, were reportedly sent to Vietnam to provide financial support and directly coordinate activities.
Under orders from the organisation’s leadership, on April 8, 2017, domestic operatives threw Molotov cocktails, setting fire to 320 motorbikes at a traffic violation impound lot of the Bien Hoa City Police, Dong Nai province.
They also placed petrol bombs at the parking area and international arrivals gate of Tan Son Nhat International Airport on April 22, 2017, and conducted surveillance and planning to attack government offices and factories, but these plots were foiled in time.
By the end of 2017, the People’s Court of Ho Chi Minh City sentenced 15 individuals to prison terms ranging from 4 to 16 years for the crime of "Terrorism against the people's government".
