Vo Duc Van - Biography

Biography

Vo Duc Van has asked that the following links to his short handwritten bio be inserted here. The letter was sent in July 2010 from Klong Prem Central Remand Prison Klong Prem Central Prison, Thailand where Vo Duc Van is currently being held. and

Vo Duc Van was born on December 20, 1959, in My Tho, South Vietnam.Vo fled Vietnam by boat in 1979 after the Communists took control of South Vietnam. He then sought political asylum at the UNHCR in the Philippines, and was granted settlement in the United States of America in 1980, where he later became a naturalized American Citizen. Vo Duc Van attended California State University where he studied Architectural and Civil Engineering. After completing his Bachelor degree he worked as a Californian Building Contractor for a decade, his last employment prior to his arrest was at Midway Columbia Engineering Boeing Field Seattle, Washington.

Vo Duc Van has been an active volunteer in public and social services. He was a member of the Southern California Vietnamese-American Students Association since 1982 and a member of the board of directors of the Vietnamese Community in Pamona, California, 1988-1991. Vo was also a Vietnamese language teacher for the youngsters in many Buddhist temples including Pamona, San Jose and Seattle.

Vo Duc Van was a member of the anti-communist Free Government of Vietnam (1995) and was also a member of both the Coalition Political Party of Free Vietnem and the Free Vietnam Youth Association.

On October 12, 2001, he was arrested by the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) at the John Wayne airport for the attempted bombing of the Vietnamese embassy in Bangkok, Thailand. He was detained at the Metropolitan Detention Center, Los Angeles until he was extradited to Thailand on 1 December 2006. September 2001, His alleged co-accomplices Pham Nguyen Thanh Hien Si, (Tony) Anh Tuan Tran, and (Philip) Phan Thanh Binh were arrested in Thailand and awaiting trial.

His arrest led to the Communist government of Vietnam, to demand that United States shut down the Government of Free Vietnam, which is led by Prime Minister Nguyen Huu Chanh.

The Vietnamese community held numerous rallies in support of Vo Duc Van against his deportation to Thailand for his alleged involvement in the attempted bombing of the Vietnamese embassy in Bangkok.

In 2001, Vo Duc Van was awaiting deportation at Federal Detention Facility in California and was transferred to law enforcement officials in Thailand in December 2006. He was expected to be to transferred to Vietnamese authority in 2008.

July 23, 2010—Vo Duc Van has posted documents in order to update this page. As soon as the documents are in my possession I will enter the information here. The following documents can be viewed at the links provided, FBI Arrest Warrant 12 October 2001 ,District Court Charges 2 pages ,Thai Foreign Affairs letter, No Extradition, (3 pages) 26 November 2001,Vo's lawyer 21 January 2002, Int affairs AG letter 19 February 2002, Vo's lawyer 27 March 2002 (2 pages) ,American Dismissal (3pages) 13 June 2002 ,Fed prison document 2007, News clippings 2 pages.