Guest thaiworthy Posted March 4, 2013 Posted March 4, 2013 Justice prevails. A 20 year old Vietnamese man will face a firing squad and another will spend the rest of his life in jail after they conspired to rob and murder a gay man they had met online. The appeals court of the supreme court of Vietnam ruled on Friday that two young men who conspired to rob and murder a gay man in April should not have their sentences reduced. Luu Phuong Dong, 20, and Nguyen Quoc Thai, 22, both natives of Long An Province murdered Trieu Chi Tam, 30, of Tien Giang province, in order to steal his motor scooter and other valuables to solve their money problems. Dong had befriended Tam online earlier that year and a few months later decided to murder Tam to rob him of his assets and then enlisted Thai to help him carry out the crime. On April 27 Dong asked Tam to meet him in a deserted area near an industrial park near Tam’s home at 10pm. Tam arrived and saw Dong and Thai and offered to pay them for sex but instead they bound his arms and legs with adhesive tape and then strangled him to death. The pair then made off with the motor scooter, a mobile phone and a gold ring. Local residents discovered Tam’s body the following day. Dong was sentenced to death by firing squad, whereas Thai was sentenced to life imprisonment and the supreme court has now upheld that verdict. LGBT people enjoy few protections under Vietnamese law. However the one party Socialist state surprised the world in June last year when it announced it would consider legalizing same-sex marriage, with a vote on the issue expected next year. Another gay man was murdered for money in Vietnam’s Dong Nai province in December last year. (Edit by thaiworthy: This linked story does not appear to be about a gay man at all, despite the headline.) Quote
Guest scottishguy Posted March 4, 2013 Posted March 4, 2013 ......the one party Socialist state surprised the world in June last year when it announced it would consider legalizing same-sex marriage, with a vote on the issue expected next year. My BF is Vietnamese - and some things do get lost in translation - but he tells me that Vietnam's proposed legalisation of same-sex marriage will bizarrely exclude Vietnamese citizens!! So, if any old queen and their Thai BF wants to nip over to Vietnam and get hitched, that's all fine and dandy - but the Vietnamese themselves will not be eligible in their own country. So it seems it may be more about making a political statement to the World rather than any real concessions to the gay community in Vietnam. As I say - bizarre! (assuming he's correct) Quote
Guest thaiworthy Posted March 5, 2013 Posted March 5, 2013 So it seems it may be more about making a political statement to the World rather than any real concessions to the gay community in Vietnam. As I say - bizarre! (assuming he's correct) That makes absolutely no sense to me. when I read the story in the link, I found this: . . . said that he has seen positive signs that same-sex marriage will be supported by the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Health and the National Assembly's Social Affairs Committee who would appraise the law. Why would the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Health and the National Assembly's Social Affairs Committee be involved in something that provides only for its foreigners? Not to disparage your boyfriend, it's just that his statement doesn't make any sense. It would amount to an unbelievable conspiracy among too many different parties. If I choose to believe your bf, then the entire article is totally in error. It is also difficult to believe this when it can so easily be tested once it becomes law, and thereby proven a stark embarrassment to the entire world. Otherwise, what are they supposed to say when it does come up short of actually becoming law? I think the opponents of any such law would be far to glib and gloating at that point, than to prevent the proverbial cat from leaping out of its bag. Quote
ceejay Posted March 5, 2013 Posted March 5, 2013 It would amount to an unbelievable conspiracy among too many different parties. Only one party - the Communist Party of Vietnam. One of the advantages of running a totalitarian system is that, no matter how foolish, illogical, venal or brutal official policy may be, everyone agrees that it is a good idea. That's not to say that Scottie's interpretation is accurate. I have no idea about that. I would point out, though, that if the Vietnamese change their laws to recognise same-sex marriages entered into under the laws of other jurisdictions, without allowing for marriage in their own, then that will put them ahead of some US states. Quote
Guest thaiworthy Posted March 5, 2013 Posted March 5, 2013 Thanks, Ceejay. That would make the system a complete and utter farce. Wow. There's no hope. This story is nothing more than a press release. Quote
Guest fountainhall Posted March 5, 2013 Posted March 5, 2013 One of the advantages of running a totalitarian system is that, no matter how foolish, illogical, venal or brutal official policy may be, everyone agrees that it is a good idea. Not sure I'd agree with that. But in reference to the situation in Vietnam, it does seem to be something that is being seriously considered, alongside several other issues that affect marriage and family law. I'm not sure how the first indications of this policy discussion were made public, but it does seem some form of consultations are happening. This is from a recent article in the Gay Star News and has extensive quotes from a human rights advocate who happens to work for the Vietnam government. And since the writer is himself Vietnamese, it would seem strange to me that he is pushing legislation that would apply only to foreigners and not equally to Vietnamese. After starting consultations with relevant departments last summer, same-sex marriage was due to be voted on at the 2013 National Assembly in May, but now a human rights advocate who works with the government has told Gay Star News the vote will probably be delayed for one year. 'It's not official yet but I learned that the Ministry of Justice requested that the National Assembly to postpone the submission of the law for one year,' said Le Quang Binh director of the Institute for Studies of Society, Economy and Environment (iSEE) who advocates for minorities' rights in Vietnam. iSEE has worked with the government on their same-sex marriage consultations, which have included presentations from international experts from the US and the Netherlands, LGBT people themselves and PFLAG (Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays) Vietnam. Le said an extra year would be helpful for gathering support for the issue among the delegates of the National Assembly. 'I think it's not a bad thing to delay for one year,' Le said. 'We actually think it may be good because then we have more time to work with the national assembly and educate the population.' Le said that he has seen positive signs that same-sex marriage will be supported by the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Health and the National Assembly's Social Affairs Committee who would appraise the law. 'But when the law is submitted to the National Assembly it might be a different story,' he said. 'We have 500 delegates and they come from all over the country.' Lee said that at a recent meeting in Hue, a small city of 300,000 in central Vietnam, there were dozens of National Assembly delegates who had little understanding of the issues around LGBT rights. 'Many asked questions like: "I've never met any gays or lesbians so why do you think this is an important issue?" There's a lot of work to do with them,' said Le. Same-sex marriage is being examined by the Vietnamese government along with seven other areas affecting marriage and family law, including surrogacy, separation, de facto marriage. http://www.gaystarnews.com/article/vote-same-sex-marriage-vietnam-likely-be-delayed-until-2014200213 Quote
Guest scottishguy Posted March 5, 2013 Posted March 5, 2013 If indeed the Vietnamese proposals were as straightforward as thaiworthy's article indicates then my BF could get his much sought after UK Visa - but I'm afraid the proposals turned out to be rather bizarre I recall I did a little research and found some evidence to suggest that Vietnamese would be excluded (or maybe it was Vietnamese marrying a same-sex foreigner, which would be excluded) - but that was on another board and I'd have to search through it. If I have a spare week, I'll get round to it. Quote
