Đặng Sỹ

Major Matthew Đặng Sỹ (July 29, 1929 – November 11, 2006

Huế Vesak shootings in which nine people died. This sparked the Buddhist crisis and downfall of Ngô Đình Diệm

.

Early life

Born in the province of Thừa Thiên,

first Lieutenant

. His father was a captain for the local national guard unit.

At age 14, Sy Dang ventured as an interpreter for the local

Roman Catholicism; the couple had ten children. ^{[citation needed}

]

Military career

After his graduation from the Vietnamese National Military Academy in

Huế Vesak shootings. He ordered his men to open fire on the unarmed demonstrators, and nine were murdered in the ensuing chaos. ^{[citation needed}

].

The trial of Đặng Sỹ

As Deputy Governor in charge of Huế's security, Major Sy Dang was held responsible for the deaths of nine Buddhists. Many accounts, which included official

Diệm regime fall. Journalists Arthur Dommen and Ellen Hammer speculated that an American serviceman and a handful of CIA operatives orchestrated the entire affair.^[6]

Mahayana Buddhist monk Venerable Thích Trí Quang

, besieged Huế radio station to broadcast their request for religious rights. The station director refused to facilitate their request and proceeded to deny the Buddhists access by barricading himself. He called on the local fire station and government security forces to prevent the Buddhists from voicing their plight. The firemen were unable to disperse the crowd with fire hose.

Đặng's security forces arrived, with armored vehicles, to negotiate with the Venerable and the station director. An agreement was reached and the Venerable was working to disperse the crowd. A series of explosions blasted exterior of the radio station while Đặng and Quang were inside, causing a massive stampede. On the pretext of "defending" against possible "

MK3A2 concussion grenades to subdue the crowd and "secure" the area. After the crowd dispersed, there were eight people dead and one person dying.^[7]

The Diệm government dismissed charges of misconduct. Later, however, the

South Vietnamese military junta tried and Đặng and sentenced him to death in 1964 for charges including shooting into an unarmed crowd, having armored vehicles ran over protesters, and using dangerous, high explosives for crowd control. Đặng, primarily on his own, maintained his and his men's innocence. When the military tribunal pronounced sentence, thousands lined the streets in protest, prompting some international observers to speculate that an internal civil war was about to erupt.^[8] Facing internal unrest and U.S. government disapproval, Khánh commuted Đặng's death sentence to life with hard labour at Côn Sơn

with payments to victims' families.

Post-military career

In 1967, the

Saigon

.

From 1969 until the

Catholic Charities

to help Vietnamese refugees until his retirement.

Death

Sy Dang died on November 11, 2006, aged 77, at his home in Maryland.

U.S. news headlines 1963-66

Letters to The Times; Diem Regime Assailed Religious Favoritism, Intolerance and Persecution Charged. New York Times - August 2, 1963
Start Trial For Murder. Gettysburg Times - June 2, 1964
Vietnamese Major Enters Innocent Plea. Eugene Register-Guard - June 2, 1964
Saigon Trying Officer As Slayer of Buddhists. New York Times - June 3, 1964
Major Asked to Blame Bishop. Chicago Tribune - June 3, 1964
Viet Officer Gets Life For Killing Buddhists. Hartford Courant - June 7, 1964
Religious-political Furor In Viet Nam Sparks Noisy March. Gadsden Times - June 8, 1964
VIETNAM OFFICER DRAWS LIFE TERM; Convicted of Killing Eight. New York Times - June 7, 1964
Protest Against Military Rule, 100,000 marched. Keesing's World News - December 1, 1964
State Woman Fights for Major's Freedom. Owosso Argus-Press - March 1966

References

External links

Lodge in Vietnam: A Patriot Abroad by Anne E. Blair; Yale University Press (1995)
ISBN 9780300143928

"The Impossible Prayer", The Baltimore Sun (1987)

[1] Dates of birth and death per Social Security Death Index, under surname DANG, firstname SY

[2] "Tributes: Because Every Life Has a Story..."

[3] "The Situation in Vietnam", CIA Weekly Report (June 1964)

[4] "South VietNam: Again, the Buddhists". Time (June 1964)

[5] Telegram From the Embassy in Vietnam to the Department of State (June 1964)

[6] "The Indochinese experience of the French and the Americans: Nationalism and Communism in Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam"

[7] "JFK and the unspeakable: Why He Died and Why It Matters"

[8] "Death Sentence Asked for Vietnamese Major"

[6]

[7]

[8]