World Furor Over Execution

Item

derivative filename/jpeg

363-04777.pdf

Digital Object Identifier

363-04777

Title

World Furor Over Execution

Description

Article published in the New York Herald Tribune about the international condemnation of the execution of Ta Vinh for "war profiteering" by South Vietnam, page unknown

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Draft transcripts were automatically generated via Google Document AI and are currently under review. Please report significant errors to Archives & Special Collections at archives@unl.edu.

Transcript

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- Page 1
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World Furor Over Execution
By Beverly Deepe
A Special Correspondent
was
SAIGON.
The case of Ta Vinh, the
Chinese business man who
executed Monday for
war-profiteering, began as a
simple economic trial and now
has evolved into a contro-
versial issue here and abroad.
His pre-dawn public execu-
tion by firing squad in Saigon
has poured fuel on an already
simmering internal situation.
Ta Vinh's Chinese wife is
known to have asked the Mili-
tant Buddhist Organization
for financial support-and
possible political revenge. The
organization-widely thought
to contain pro-neutralists and
pro-Communists - has engi-
neered the downfall of previ-
ous governments, and could
do the same with this one.
At the international level,
the issues became more
snarled.
U. S. WARNING
Officials of the American
Embassy-speaking privately
and unofficially-are known
to have warned South Viet-
namese government officials
that they could expect a po-
litical black-eye in the Ameri-
can and European press-and
one that would harm the
"new society" image adopted
at the Honolulu conference
last month.
One diplomatic flap was
caused by the fear that Pe-
king would exploit the execu-
tion of a Chinese business
man and thus gain support of
the hundreds of thousands of
overseas Chinese, while the
Taiwan government would
tacitly and silently be left
backing the Saigon regime.
It could be considered a
great irony that Peking might
come out in support of a
"corrupt capitalist."
When Ta Vinh's trial began,
Chinese business men in
Saigon's twin-city of Cholon
favored the Saigon govern-
CMay 11, 1966]
Premier Ky
embezzling the equivalent of
$70,000 in public funds.
If this Vietnamese public
servant is executed, Premier
Ky undoubtedly will gain
enormous support within the
country. First, the Vietnamese
are tired of the overwhelming
waves of corruption. Second,
it will give Gen. Ky an appear-
ance of governing in opposi-
tion to American Embassy ad-
vice, which could strengthen
his prestige.
A week earlier, the Economy
Minister was replaced by a
young, energetic banking ex-
pert who is widely reputed by
the business community here
to be both honest and capable.
DISCONTENT
The extent of corruption,
nepotism and bureaucratic
inefficiency-plus the fact that
the reins of economic power
are in the hands of a
privileged few with vested
interests - has consistently
been the root of discontent
among the low-class and
lower-middle class elements
ment. As the trial progressed, of the population.
however, more and more
Chinese resented the way the
case was handled.
Two other Chinese business
men got six-year prison terms
for economic speculation and
hoarding.
ANTI-CHINESE
The Chinese considered
these trails as being anti-
Chinese
instead of anti-
em-
corruption. They complained
that while Chinese business
men were corrupt, the bribes
went into the pockets of Viet-
namese government
ployees, specifically at the
Ministry of Economy, where
bribes up and down the ad-
ministrative ladder were nec-
essary to get required paper
work for import and export
licensing.
The government hastily
countered these arguments,
however, when only hours
after the Ta Vinh execution, a
Vietnamese public servant con-
fessed, was convicted and was
given a death sentence for
The corruption is commonly
believed by almost all Viet-
namese to be operating at a
peak level. Premier Ky faces
even more complicated eco-
nomic problems than his
numerous predecessors - for
the American build-up of
troops, coupled with increased
Viet Cong sabotage of roads,
canals and rivers-has pro-
duced inflation that is poten-
tially as dangerous to the
country as Viet Cong troops.
Chinese business men
throughout Southeast Asia
operate an enormous economic
network, in which smuggling,
black marketing and "high
finance" are interwoven with
"high politics" and espionage
-including some for the Chi-
nese Communists.
In the face of these eco-
nomic problems, which are
the essence of Saigon's politi-
cal problem, the case of Ta
Vinh means that the govern-
ment of Prime Minister Ky
must govern-or else, like its
predecessors, it will fall.

Date

1966, May 17

Subject

Vietnam (Republic)--Politics and government; Executions and executioners; Political corruption; Profiteering; Public opinion

Location

Saigon, South Vietnam

Coordinates

10.8231; 106.6311

Container

B4, F6

Format

newspaper clippings

Collection Number

MS 363

Collection Title

Beverly Deepe Keever, Journalism Papers

Creator

Keever, Beverly Deepe

Copyright Information

These images are for educational use only. To inquire about usage or publication, please contact Archives & Special Collections.

Publisher

Archives & Special Collections, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries

Language

English