Posted on 09/19/2002 10:23:35 PM PDT by HAL9000
HANOI, Vietnam (AP) -- Vietnamese officials were meeting Friday to consider whether to punish an actor branded a "national traitor" for starring with Mel Gibson in the Hollywood movie "We Were Soldiers."Authorities in Ho Chi Minh City, where actor Don Duong lives, proposed earlier that he be fined and banned from acting or leaving the country for five years for appearing in the movie, which they said distorted the history and image of Vietnamese soldiers.
Officials from the Ministry of Culture and Information were meeting Friday to consider the proposal, and will submit a recommendation to the ministry for a final decision, ministry Cinematic Department Director Nguyen Phuc Thanh said.
Vietnam's communist government has led a strident campaign against "We Were Soldiers" in the country's state-controlled media.
The movie, not approved for sale in Vietnam but widely available on bootleg DVDs, depicts a bloody three-day battle in November 1965 in Vietnam's Ia Drang valley, the first major clash between the North Vietnamese army and U.S. troops in the Vietnam War.
In the film, the U.S. troops have little idea of what they face and are overrun and suffer heavy casualties. Both sides are portrayed as courageous and self-sacrificing, while their families are shown grieving the deaths of their loved ones.
The movie is based on the book "We Were Soldiers Once ... and Young" by the U.S. commander in the battle, retired Lt. Gen. Harold G. Moore.
Duong played commander Nguyen Huu An, who led the Vietnamese soldiers to victory.
Duong, one of Vietnam's most popular actors, has appeared in numerous domestic movies about the war. He also played the role of a refugee camp translator in "Green Dragon," a movie directed by Vietnamese American Tony Linh Bui about Vietnamese who fled the country after the end of the war and dreamed of living in the United States.
"Both movies distort the legitimate war history of our people and the humanity of the Vietnamese," army newspaper Quan Doi Nhan Dan (People's Army) said in a front-page article Wednesday.
The newspaper demanded stern punishment for Duong.
"By becoming a propagandist and henchman for 'hostile forces' and tarnishing the Vietnamese soldiers and people, Don Duong has sold his conscience cheaply and become a national traitor," it said.
Duong couldn't be reached for comment, but in an earlier interview with The Associated Press, he said he was surprised at the reaction and has decided not to play any more roles in foreign movies about the Vietnam War.
Vietnamese movies about the war invariably portray Vietnamese soldiers as noble and Americans as cruel murderers.
I'm glad you liked the bump! :)
How did I miss this one! Great post goldilucky!
This is so sad, thank you for keeping the vigil.
Prayers for Don Duong and all those ensalved by the Taskmasters of Communism in our day and time.
How sad what mankind does to one another, yet all is only to serve the purposes of satan who will never share with anyone...
Even Hitler, who was empowered by the Beast over 55 years...died in shame and defeat and took his own life.
Do other's think that they will survive their pact with the Devil?
There is only salvation in Jesus Christ and only mercy and love from God.
God Bless and comfort Don Duong and his family.
From We Were Soldiers Once...And Young, Chapter 26, Reflections and Perceptions:
In Hanoi, Senior General Vo Nguyen Giap looked hard at what he perceived as the important lessons of the Ia Drang campaign and was heartened by what he saw: "After the Ia Drang battle we concluded that we could fight and win against the Cavalry troops. We learned our lessons from this battle and disseminated the information to all our soldiers. These were instructions on how to organize to fight the helicopters.
"We thought that the Americans must have a strategy. We did. We had a strategy of people's war. You had tactics, and it takes very decisive tactics to win a strategic victory. You planned to use the Cavalry tactics as your strategy to win the war. If we could defeat your tactics - your helicopters - then we could defeat your strategy. Our goal was to win the war." (pp. 398-399, emphasis mine.)
In Hanoi, President Ho Chi Minh and his lieutenants considered the outcome of the Ia Drang and were serenely confident. Their peasant soldiers had withstood the terrible high-tech fire storm delivered against them by a superpower and had at least fought the Americans to a draw. By their yardstick, a draw against such a powerful opponent was the equivilent to a victory. In time, they were certain, the patience and perseverence that had worn down the French colonialists would also wear down the Americans. (p. 399, again, my emphasis.)
Would you disagree with their assessments?
Likewise, I can't believe that America isn't waking up to the fact that our Economy is in the Hands of our Enemies!
Our dependence on Imported Goods, especially from Communist China, is so great that a mere 10 day Port-Strike is enough to tumble our economy!
Our country is not as Liberated as we could be, especially when an Actor who works in a US Film can be dragged off and interrogated by the Communist Vietnamese...
What is wrong...is that so few see that Something is Wrong.
Prayers for Don Duong.
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