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From the lack of in
depth analysis on the television's evening news to the questions that many Vietnamese
Americans get from their associates at work, it is clear that while the Vietnamese
refugee's cause are passionate, that cause is lost on the rest of America.
Addressing the why's
and what for's Americans may ask is the exact purpose of our Frequently Asked Questions
(FAQ's) section.
LITTLE SAIGON ON THE
WEB proudly brings to you our first submission. It is our most sincere hope, that by
supporting constructive effort like this, our other American brothers and sisters can
better understand our cause.
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FREE SPEECH WITH RESPONSIBILITY
We, Vietnamese Americans,
Find it necessary to take actions in response to these transgressions by
Truong Van Tran, owner of Hitek Video Store:
- He has publicly displayed the symbols of Vietnamese communism with the
sole intent of offending countless Vietnamese and Americans who have bravely fought
communism and lost their loved ones at the hands of Ho Chi Minh and the communist regime.
- Sent letters to mock and ridicule our beliefs in a free and democratic government.
- Has betrayed his refugee status by proudly displaying symbols of the government from
which he fled.
- Has accepted funds and support from the communist government abroad.
- Has lied to the public by claiming to be non-communist while showing much affection for
the communist government (i.e. continual display of the communist flag, bowing, and
kissing Ho Chi Minh's visage) and directly receiving support from the communist regime in
Vietnam (Many Vietnamese Americans were recently forced to pay for Truong's legal fee upon
visiting Vietnam)
- Has repeatedly used fighting words to provoke
and challenge his neighbors to respond to his actions just to amuse himself and to use up
valuable police force.
- Has fooled and taken advantage of the media and
the ACLU by making false claims about his intentions and attempting to damage the image of
Vietnamese community through acting (i.e. faking injury from a light tap).
We therefore find and conclude with much resolution that Mr. Truong Van Tran has
irresponsibly abused his freedoms of speech, posed as a "mental threat", to
publicly deepen the "mental wounds" of his neighbors whose relatives and friends
were victims of the communist holocaust.
We, Vietnamese Americans,
1. Stage and promote a NONVIOLENT protest against
the public display of Ho Chi Minh picture and his communist flag, the symbols of
suppression and murdering.
2. Have not and will not step down to the threats and taunts of communism.
3. Never have and never will honor the communist flag as the national flag of Vietnam as
long as we breathe.
4. Have and will continue our dedication to echo the voices of victims of the communist
regime and properly and responsibly exercise our Freedom of Speech.
WHY ARE WE SO ANGRY !!!
Some people may wonder why we are so angry about a man who is displaying a communist flag
in the heart of Little Saigon? Please spend a moment to read this and understand our
complaint.
DURING THE WAR
More than 58,000 Americans died for our freedom. About a million South Vietnamese people,
civilians included, also died during the war. Communist soldiers destroyed our
cities and killed innocent civilians. We lost the war and lost our country. Those
who remained in the country lost their freedom as well. More than a hundred thousand South
Vietnamese people spent many years in prisons and "re-education" camps (a fancy
word for "jail").
AFTER THE WAR
The communists confiscated wealth and property and tried to enforce a communist economy.
The result was (and is) widespread poverty and misery for the people. The communists took
away basic freedoms, including our freedom of speech and freedom of assembly. Many people
died in the re-education camps and many others were executed for the "crime" of
fighting for freedom. The communist government is responsible for more violations of human
rights than can ever be counted.
WE ARE REFUGEES
After the war, we left our homes and all the fruits of our labors that we had worked our
whole lives for. We risked our lives in thousands of small boats to escape from the
communists and many thousands of our people perished in the deep oceans during these
dangerous voyages. We paid for our love of freedom with our lives.
FREEDOM
We appreciate and value the freedom we have in this country. For twenty-five years, we
built our community and we are proud of Little Saigon, the world capital of Vietnamese
refugees. This is a town where traditional Vietnamese culture is enjoyed by residents and
visitors alike and is also our thriving business center. This is a place where we can
spend time to relax and feel our freedom. Many of us feel a "Little" at home in
Little Saigon and it is the heart of our community.
THIS REALLY HURTS
For the communist flag to be displayed in Little Saigon is not just an insult to our
community, it is a rusty nail through our hearts. Some people say that this man's act is
protected by freedom of speech. When the Courts choose to protect this insult, this attack
upon our hearts and we have to respect and obey the law. Just as one man may hang a flag,
so many hundreds and thousands of others assemble to protest against him, for this is also
protected by the law. And so we do protest: does this man not understand that if a person
in Vietnam displays the flag of old South Vietnam today, he will be in jail tomorrow (and
probably for years)? Is he also blind that he cannot see this solemn irony? Does he not
understand that the flag he displays is the flag of tyranny and repression, the flag of
the police state?
YOU TO HAVE A
VOICE
Our Little Saigon is a town of faith and hope but we now must endure a flag that is a
symbol of misery and despair. Please join us in asking this man to take his flag down so
that we can restore the sense of decency to our community that we have come to cherish
these last twenty-five years.
Thank you for your time, your concern, and, if you choose, thank you for adding your voice
to ours.
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