Vietnam jails famous singer’s grandson for supporting overthrown government

Tran Thien Chau collected Republic of Vietnam memorabilia but said he didn’t support the southern regime.

Read more on this topic in Vietnamese.

A court near Ho Chi Minh City has jailed a man for 12 years for “activities aimed at overthrowing the people’s government” in connection with Facebook posts supporting the former government of South Vietnam, his friend told Radio Free Asia.

Tran Thien Chau Lam, 33, is the grandson of late musician Tran Thien Thanh, famous for Vietnam War military hits such as “Bien Man,” “Rung la low,” and “Tam su nguoi linh tre.”

On June 12, police in Binh Chanh province summoned Lam for Facebook posts about the Republic of Vietnam, or South Vietnam, which existed from 1955 until the North’s victory at the end of the Vietnam War in 1975.

Lam told police he deleted the Facebook post when he got home and stayed off the social media site to avoid further trouble.

But eight days later, police searched his home seizing items including uniforms, hats and insignia of the Republic of Vietnam military. Lam was held for further questioning on July 23.

Lam’s friend, Chinh Nhan, told RFA on Wednesday that Lam and some others whose relatives grew up in the Republic of Vietnam, liked to collect military uniforms from the era but had no plans to overthrow the current government.

“Lam often sang in tea rooms because he was a musician,” Nhan said. “He often wore military uniforms, and at his wedding he wore the uniform of the Republic of Vietnam. Almost 100% of the people who attended were descendants and wore military uniforms.”

After Lam’s wedding, Nhan said police summoned several people for questioning and fined Lam 7.5 million Vietnamese dong (US$300) for “propaganda against the state.”

The Tuoi Tre newspaper said early last year, Lam used Facebook and WhatsApp to persuade four others to establish the social media group “Descendants: Recruitment Council of the Republic of Vietnam Armed Forces.” It said the group discussed and commemorated activities aimed at overthrowing the current government. Lam organized face-to-face meetings with group members in coffee shops to discuss and plan activities, the newspaper said.

The Dan Tri newspaper added that when checking the phones of Lam and other group members, police found exchanges about plans to carry out bombings and assassinations of unnamed individuals with the aim of restoring the Republic of Vietnam military.

Other group members were not prosecuted, the paper said, because they were former soldiers or relatives of former Republic of Vietnam servicemen. It said they had limited political awareness and cooperated with the police.


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Lau’s punishment fell under Clause 1, Article 109 of Vietnam’s criminal code: “Anyone who establishes or participates in an organization aimed at overthrowing the people’s government” will be sentenced to 12 to 20 years in prison, life or death if they are “an organizer, instigator, active participant or cause serious consequences.”

Nhan is seeking asylum in another country after fleeing Vietnam to escape possible arrest.

He denounced the ruling party in a Facebook post about Lam’s arrest as “communist animals.”

Translated by RFA Vietnamese. Edited by Mike Firn and Taejun Kang.