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Verdict
While the First
Republic government dismissed charges of misconducts and paid indemptions to
victims families in 1963, the
Military Junta
arrested, tried and pressed a death sentence for Major Dang in 1964 [Associated Press, 1964].
Major Dang maintained his and his men's innocence in the cause of deaths. Fifty
men were released but the sentence still progressed toward extreme penalty for
Major Dang.
The victims of the blasts came from mixed backgrounds and religions. While the
media reported the victims were Buddhists, they glossed over the United Nations
findings that at least one of the victims was a Catholic [New York Times, 1964]. The cause of the
blasts were of unknown origin, even until today. Major Đặng, while escaped harm,
was implicated because of the his vincinity to the casualties and he was the
only Roman Catholic officer in the chain of command. Post-mortem autopsy,
performed by Dr. Le Khac Quyen, revealed the corpses were damaged by explosion,
not ammunition. MK3 concussion grenades used by Major Đặng's troops were
determined to be non-lethal. Dr. Wulff's testimony and medical office
corroborated that victims were killed by larger, lethal explosions.
Despite the prosecution's press for the death penalty, Major Dang's lawyer
contended that the court could not establish concrete evidence to prove beyond
reasonable doubts of his client's alleged crimes. Major Dang concluded his
defense by saying he was a victim of a religious conflict [Associated Press, 1964].
Indictment
International press, including the New York Times, printed that the
Military Tribunal
sentenced Major Dang to hard labor at
Con Son Pennitary with payment to the victims families. The sentence was
final and no appeal could be made. Mrs. Dang audibly sobbed, and was helped out
of the court room, while Major Dang tried to recompose himself with a broad grin
while waving goodbye to the international press corp [Associated Press, 1964].
On the other hand, the U.S. Congress and United Nations recorded that Major Dang
was
imprisoned with no formal charges, under Law #10, enacted under
First Republic
government for people with dubious past or for political reasons [Government Printing Office, 1992].
When the military tribunal pronounced the indictment,
sympathetic Catholics and Buddhists lined the streets in protest on the
following Monday, prompting many international observers to speculate an
internal civil war was about to be erupted. [Gadsden Times, 1964], [Keesing's World News, 1964], [Topmiller, 2006].
References:
2. Religious-political Furor In Viet Nam Sparks Noisy March. Gadsden Times, 8 June 1964.
7.
Life Term for Officer in Viet Row. Associated Press, 1964.
Further Turmoil
Tension between Catholics and Buddhists over the life sentence given to Major
Dang Sy heightened.
On Monday, August 9, 1964, 40,000 people marched across Saigon and surrounding
areas protesting the sentencing as well as the odd silence of the United States.
Started at U.S. International Aid Agency, crowds carried English banners urging
U.S. Ambassador Henry Cabot Lodge to state his official stand and demanded the
Military Junta's stand on governing South Vietnam. As the crowds converged at
the Cathedral in Saigon, some even tried to tear down the memorial plaque for
the late President John F. Kennedy, saying religious ground was not a place for
politicians. Though they were promptly stopped by others in the crowd, most
South Vietnamese felt the Kennedy administration was partly responsible for the
death of President Diem [New York News, August 1964]. Some believed that Embassador Lodge was molding the
subservient Military Junta which was held under the sway of certain Buddhist
leadership influence [Associated Press, 1964].
Little did they realize that Ambassador Lodge had already
warned General Khanh about attacking Major Dang a
t the trial would be considered attacking the Vietnamese Catholic Church itself
and the United States would not support a government that caused another
upheaval in public dissention [Blair, 1995]; nor President Kennedy had already formed a
plan for withdrawing American troops from Vietnam, at the request of President
Diem. This would leave 5,000 active members acting at the advisor capacity [Douglass, 2008]. It
was not in the United States interest to turn Vietnam into a power struggle with
Communist powers like U.S.S.R. and China. Nor it was in South Vietnam's interest
for turning itself into an international battleground. Vietnam war needed to be
settled by Vietnamese. This sparked a furious response from the Washington Post,
which printed articles that Vietnam rejected the United States help [Douglass, 2008].
On the following Wednesday August 11, 1964, a petition, signed by 345 Catholic
clergies, was delivered to General Khanh Nguyen asking clemency for Major Dang.
The petition stated the charges were vague and the conviction was based on the
testimonies of two men who changed their stories and contradicted each other.
General Khanh stated that he would open a commission to review Major Dang's
case [New York News, August 1964].
South Vietnamese army went through a period of demoralization as commanding
officers refused to execute orders from their superiors without written
authorization. They blamed the frequent replacement of their superiors would
make them doing their duty one day and be punished by the next incoming
commanders. They did not want to go through the same ordeal as Major Dang Sy [Douglass, 2008].
The United States' silence on the trial of Dang Sy had created a double standard.
As the media and U.S. government condemmed Saigon regime on Buddhist
persecution, little or no coverage on the arrests of Catholic military
personnel.
Father
Patrick O'Connor observed that Buddhists or those claimed to be of this
faith, were given preferential treatment, even in cases of committing crimes [New York News, September 1964].
REFERENCES:
1. New Religious Tension Builds - New York News, August 9,
1964.
2. Vietnamese Catholics Rap
Lodge - Associated Press, August 9, 1964.
4. Saigon Frees 9 Diem Aids - New York News, October 19,
1964.
5. U.S. Must Correct Vietnam Errors - The Daily Reviews -
June 25, 1964.
6. Vietnamese Can't Figure U.S. Stand on Riot Against
Government - New York News, September 9, 1964.
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