"Free Vietnam's" Connection to the Anti-Cuba Miami Mafia Via NY Transfer News * All the News That Doesn't Fit "Free Vietnam's" Connections to the Anti-Cuba Miami Mafia [There is specific relevance to Cuba of the prior post from the Oread Daily about the lunatic right-wing Vietnamese in California. In early 2000, one 'hero' of the old Saigon regime, with a pilot's license, made common cause with the Miami Mafia and took off from Florida to overfly Havana and drop counterrevolutionary leaflets on the city. Cuba was restrained in its response and did not shoot the cowboy, by the name of Ly Tong, down. More's the pity. He returned to the US, where much fuss was made about his flight and impending "investigations" into his pilot's license were muttered about -- which, of course, came to nothing. A few short months later he was off on another fool's adventure, this time to Southeast asia, where he thought he was going to start "liberating" Vietnam all over again. He parachuted in, was arrested, and eventually was released. He probably still holds a valid US pilot's license. The Vietnamese lunatic exile movement has several things in common with the Miami Mafia: a population of ageing men with too much time on their hands and a lot of nostalgia for their anti-communist testosterone heyday, a touching faith in the power of the CIA, a delusional belief that they can return the planet to the 1950s, rabid right-wing Catholicism, and much tolerance from the US Government. Following is some background. -- NY Transfer] * Havana reacts with fury to pilot's leaflet drop By Andrew Cawthorne HAVANA, Jan 3, 2000 (Reuters) - Havana issued a furious condemnation on Monday of a U.S. pilot's weekend invasion of Cuban airspace to drop anti-communist pamphlets that called President Fidel Castro "an old dinosaur" and urged a popular revolt. In a lengthy and vitriolic statement, the government portrayed the incident as the latest "counter-revolutionary" provocation, tolerated by its "imperialist" neighbour and probably aided by Cuban-American exiles in Florida. "This grotesque provocation took place as always in Havana, the capital of Cuba, the little revolutionary neighbour which for four decades has been the target of blockade, pirate attacks, and political, economic and military aggressions," the statement said. "It is imperialism's right to never tolerate offences, but instead spend its time threatening, attacking and offending any other country in any corner of the globe, especially when it's a Third World country." South Vietnamese-born pilot, Ly Tong, 51 -- dubbed "the Vietnamese James Bond" for his daredevil flights during the Vietnam War -- dumped thousands of anti-Castro leaflets from a Cessna 172 during a swoop over Havana on Saturday morning. It was the first unauthorised flight into Cuban airspace since 1996, when Havana shot down two planes flown near the Caribbean island by the Miami-based exile group, Brothers to the Rescue. Four pilots were killed in that incident. Cuba scrambled two MiG fighter jets in response to Saturday's flyover, while the U.S. air-force sent up an F-16 on its side of the Florida Straits to monitor the situation. CUBA PRAISED FOR SHOWING RESTRAINT Tong returned safely to Florida, where he voluntarily surrendered his pilot's certificate. U.S. aviation authorities, who are investigating whether to press charges against him for breach of air space regulations, praised Cuba for avoiding a confrontation and showing "restraint." Monday's government statement was the first mention of the incident in Cuba's state media. Many Havana residents, however, saw the plane as it flew along the city's coastline, or picked up the pamphlets before they were collected by police. "Of course, we condemn this sort of provocative action. But I'd like to say also that we feel ridiculous that the world has information about this incident long before we Cubans are allowed to by our own government," one Havana resident said. Monday's communique was signed by "the revolutionary leadership" and titled: "Mad, drugged or mercenary?" in reference to the pilot. "From the north, in mischievous and brutal fashion, a new offensive came on Saturday," the statement began. As well as being New Year's Day, Saturday was also the 41st anniversary of Castro's 1959 Cuban Revolution. The statement quoted extensively from Tong's pamphlet, including a section urging "all Cuban patriots to stand up and declare the death of the inhuman and tyrannical regime." It omitted the section calling Castro "an old dinosaur." Havana scathingly referred to Tong as "a residual of the faeces that was the Saigon Army" and said his "stupid counter- revolutionary provocation" would merely reaffirm Cubans' patriotic and revolutionary sentiments. "Should we make an energetic diplomatic protest? Why? That would be a waste of time," it added. Tong was shot down over North Vietnam in 1975 and imprisoned for five years, escaping barefoot through the jungle. U.S. authorities said he moved to the United States in 1984 and became a citizen in 1988. He now lives in the New Orleans area and had been staying with friends near Miami. In 1992, he hijacked a Vietnam Airlines A310 Airbus from Bangkok to Ho Chi Minh City, where he forced it to drop leaflets calling for strikes and demonstrations to build a free Vietnam. He then strapped on a parachute and jumped. Tong was jailed by the Vietnamese until 1998. He told the Miami Herald he was unconnected to Cuban exile groups and motivated solely by a hatred of communism: "The most important thing I try to do is energise the Cuban people to rise up and overthrow the Havana tyrant." 10:38 01-03-00 Copyright 2000 Reuters Limited. * (From Yahoo! Daily News, 02 January, 2000) U.S. Probes Leaflet Flight Over Havana. By Jane Sutton MIAMI (Reuters) U.S. aviation regulators were investigating on Sunday whether a U.S. pilot broke any rules when he entered Cuban air space with a small rented plane to drop leaflets on Havana calling President Fidel Castro an "old dinosaur." The South Vietnamese-born pilot, Ly Vong, has voluntarily surrendered his pilot's certificate in the wake of Saturday's incident, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said. "That does not constitute an official enforcement action," FAA spokeswoman Kathleen Bergen said on Sunday. "We are still investigating." Vong, 51, is a former South Vietnamese fighter pilot dubbed "the Vietnamese James Bond" for his daredevil flights during the Vietnam War. He was shot down over North Vietnam in 1975 and imprisoned for five years, escaping barefoot through the jungle. Vong took off from the Tamiami Airport southwest of Miami and buzzed Havana on Saturday morning, flying low across the Florida Straits in a failed attempt to avoid radar detection. As Vong's rented Cessna 172 circled Havana, Cuba dispatched two MiG fighter jets to force the single-engine plane back toward Florida. The U.S. Air Force sent an F-16 to monitor and provide protection as Vong returned. In Miami, U.S. Customs spokesman Michael Sheehan said U.S. and Cuban authorities cooperated to avoid a confrontation, and praised the Cubans because they "showed some restraint." In Havana, in the first official reaction, senior Cuban official Ricardo Alarcon said the handling of the incident, and possible U.S. legal action against Vong, would demonstrate how illegal flights should be dealt with. "I think that it is a good example of how important it is that violations of the law like this will not be tolerated," Alarcon, the president of Cuba's National Assembly and Castro's pointman on U.S. affairs, told Reuters. "Fortunately, there was no worse incident, and I hope this is a sign that in the future the U.S. authorities are going to act in the same way," he added at Havana airport, where he was meeting a visiting U.S. church delegation. Cuban state media has not mentioned the incident, but many Havana residents saw the plane or picked up and read the pamphlets before they were collected by police. It was the first unauthorized flight into Cuban airspace since 1996, when Havana shot down two planes flown near the Caribbean island by the Miami-based exile group, Brothers to the Rescue. Four pilots were killed in that incident. U.S. customs officials met the plane when it landed, and released Vong pending further investigation. U.S. pilots who fly south of the 24th parallel near Cuba must file a special flight plan and receive a briefing by U.S. authorities. The FAA has not determined whether Vong followed those rules, Bergen said. The FAA was also probing whether Vong violated international aviation agreements by entering Cuban territory. Saturday was the 41st anniversary of Castro's Jan. 1, 1959, revolution. The leaflets Vong dropped urged Cubans "to stand up and declare the death of the inhuman and tyrannical regime" and said "the old dinosaur Fidel Castro and his followers insist in opposing the evolutionary trend of humanity." Vong told the Miami Herald he had not seen the Cuban MiGs or the U.S. Air Force plane and was unaware they were following him. He said he had planned the flight for months and rented the plane for $240 without telling the owner of his plans. He was not affiliated with any of Miami's anti-communist Cuban exile groups, and said he was motivated solely by a hatred of communism. "The most important thing I try to do is energize the Cuban people to rise up and overthrow the Havana tyrant," he told the Herald. U.S. authorities said Vong moved to the United States in 1984 and became a citizen in 1988. He lives in the New Orleans area and had been staying with friends near Miami. In 1992, he hijacked an Air Vietnam Airbus from Bangkok to Ho Chi Minh City, where he forced it to drop leaflets calling for strikes and demonstrations to build an independent and free Vietnam. He then strapped on a parachute and jumped. Vong was jailed by the Vietnamese until 1998, when he was released with 5,219 other prisoners of conscience. * The Further Adventures of Ly Tong (note he was still flying a year later) Sunday, November 19, 2000 7:31 PM SGT Thai police arrest Vietnamese-American over leaflet stunt BANGKOK, Nov 19, 2000 (AFP) - A former South Vietnamese fighter pilot has been charged with forcing a Thai charter plane to fly him to Vietnam on a mission to drop anti-communist leaflets on Ho Chi Minh City ahead of US President Bill Clinton's visit, police said Sunday. Ly Tong was charged with taking an aircraft out of Thailand without permission and inflicting physical harm on the pilot. "According to our initial questioning, he considers himself a patriot who wants all the Vietnamese to fight against communism," a senior police spokesman said. "We are investigating whether anybody else is involved with this matter." A Thai foreign ministry spokesman said Ly Tong, who was granted US citizenship after fleeing his homeland at the end of the war, booked the plane and pilot on the pretext of taking some flying lessons. Once aboard, he told the pilot he was carrying a grenade and would detonate it unless the aircraft diverted across the Gulf of Thailand and towards the former Saigon, flying low to evade radar detection. He forced the pilot to buzz the city so he could dump the leaflets, which exhorted the Vietnamese people to rise up against their communist leaders. Ly Tong was arrested on his return to Thailand aboard the light plane Friday night, as Clinton prepared to arrive in the Vietnamese capital Hanoi. "Initial investigations found the man worked alone, with no help from any group in the US or Thailand," said foreign ministry spokesman Don Pramudhvinai. Thai authorities were keeping their Vietnamese counterparts informed on the progress of the investigation, and would begin liaising with US officials from Monday, he said. "Whether or not there will be a question of extradition remains to be seen," he said. Thai newspapers said the leaflet-dropping incident was the latest in a series of stunts Ly Tong has carried out over the past decade, including the 1992 hijacking of Vietnam Airlines jet which put him in jail for six years. In January this year he reportedly flew from Florida to Cuba to drop leaflets over the communist enclave. Meanwhile, police in Cambodia said they had arrested another Vietnamese-American man, Lee Sun Bao, on suspicion of recruiting for the anti-communist Free Vietnam movement. "The arrest is based on a warrant from the military court on charges of forming an illegal armed force," a military police spokesman told AFP. Vietnamese diplomats in Phnom Penh said they had not been informed of the case but that they believed the movement regularly used Cambodia as a base for operations. On Sunday Clinton wrapped up his landmark trip to Vietnam with a visit to Ho Chi Minh City where he received an ecstatic welcome from tens of thousands of supporters. ================================================================= NY Transfer News Collective * A Service of Blythe Systems Since 1985 - Information for the Rest of Us 339 Lafayette St., New York, NY 10012 http://www.blythe.org e-mail: nyt@blythe.org ================================================================= nytas-11.27.01-05:05:56-8584