[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: Vietnam: "US Puppet" Remains Enemy Even In Death - SCMP [WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK] Visit our website: HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK --------------------------------------------- Tuesday, October 2, 2001 'US puppet' remains the enemy even in death ============================== KAY JOHNSON in Hanoi For South Vietnam's president Nguyen Van Thieu, there would be no reconciliation, no promise of reunion, no hope of return to the country he fled 26 years ago after losing a bloody, decade-long war against the communist north. The death on Saturday of the wartime leader aged 78 in the US barely gained a mention in the state-run media of communist Vietnam, where he is still vilified as an opponent of unification. Thieu once famously vowed to defend South Vietnam "to the last bullet, to the last grain of rice". Instead, he fled in the night, days before the fall of Saigon in 1975. A staunch anti-communist, Thieu is still referred to in Hanoi as a US puppet - although the stubborn leader often argued with his American sponsors. Leading Hanoi historian Tran Duc Cuong said yesterday Thieu would not be mourned by his homeland. "He consented to be the agent of foreign forces in Vietnam, working against the nation's aspirations for peace," said Mr Cuong, director of the state-run Vietnam History Institute. "He is condemned by history and the people." By contrast, Hanoi had offered an olive branch to Duong Van Minh, the man who replaced Thieu when he fled after a decade in power. The man known as "Big Minh" was president for only nine days before surrendering to the victorious communist northern forces. This year, he was granted permission to visit his homeland by the communist authorities, but died two months ago, before he got the chance. Authorities said Minh, who was arrested and put in re-education camps before being allowed to emigrate, had redeemed himself by surrendering Saigon. Even if Thieu had sought such reconciliation, it is unlikely he would have received it. Born in 1923 in southern Vietnam, Thieu was part of the Viet Minh guerilla force that fought against French colonists after World War II, but later turned against communism. A canny politician and deal-maker, he led the 1963 coup that unseated then-president Ngo Dinh Diem. His leadership was confirmed in 1967 and 1971 elections, although they were marred by charges of vote fraud. He sought US help in fighting the war and expressed bitterness at US troops' withdrawal in 1973, which he viewed as abandonment. After his own escape, Thieu lived in Taiwan and London before moving to the US city of Boston in the 1980s. He was said to have reconciled with old comrades and talked of one day returning to Vietnam. But he would not have been welcome, at least according to the official line. "The moment he resigned 26 years ago, he was dead already. No one cared about him anymore," said Mr Cuong. Published in the South China Morning Post. Copyright � 2001. All rights reserved. _________________________________________________ KOMINFORM P.O. Box 66 00841 Helsinki Phone +358-40-7177941 Fax +358-9-7591081 http://www.kominf.pp.fi General class struggle news: [EMAIL PROTECTED] subscribe mails to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Geopolitical news: [EMAIL PROTECTED] subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] __________________________________________________
