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Welcome, using publicly available resources such as Google Books, Google News and U.S. Library of Congress, this website is a small collection of references to the Trial of Dang Sy during the mid 1960s, which are often overlooked.
While many books and archives said briefly about the Trial of Dang Sy, they all gave conflicting views of the man on trial. Who is Matthew Sy Dang ? What really happened that propelled Mr. Sy Dang into the events that ultimately led to the Trial of Dang Sy. What he did, the accusations alleged against him, why he did it and what happened afterward were not always connected.
In the recent years, personal websites and community websites have brought up the same topic about Mr. Sy Dang while unfairly misrepresented certain key figures. Facts and figures were conveniently ignored to create a history that was biased and inaccurate. As established by first hand accounts, through U.S. Ambassadors Cabot Lodge and Frederick Nolting, United Nations Southeast Asia Investigative Mission, as well as other reliable sources such as Marguerite Higgins and Ellen J. Hammer, there was no shootings in the events that led to the Buddhist Crisis.
Using original, timely articles, peer-reviewed journals of scholars and commentary on the politics and history, this website brings together sources from all sides, to give a fuller, non-political picture of what happened, and why the Trial of Dang Sy was a mockery of Justice.
"Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!
Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"
"The New Colossus" by Emma Lazarus
Original Wikipedia Article
Matthew Sy Dang, (Vietnamese: Matheo Đặng Sỹ; July 29, 1929 – November 11, 2006[1][2]) was an officer in the Army of the Republic of Vietnam who was known for the unjust political implication in the death of nine people.
Born in the province of Thừa Thiên, Huế, Sy Dang came from a long line of devout Roman Catholics, including Michael Dinh-Hy Ho, one of the 117 Vietnamese Martyrs.[3] He attended a Lasallian school, graduated from National Military Academy of Da Lat as 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 French garrison. He tried the prospect of being a Christian Brother, like his mother's brother, but found he was not suited for a pious, teaching life. He decided to follow a military career. He married Cam De Nguyen at the age of twenty-one. She converted to Roman Catholicism
After his graduation from Vietnamese National Military Academy of Da Lat and having attended the U.S. Infantry Center & School at Fort Benning, Sy Dang quickly progressed to the rank of major, assigned to the First Infantry Division and was named as deputy Governor and Security Chief, in charge of Thừa Thiên and Huế city. While in this position, he was embroiled in the midst of political unrests.
As Deputy Provincial Head, in charge of Huế's security, Major Sy Dang was held responsible for the deaths of nine people. Many accounts, which included official CIA reports and U.S. State Department weekly reports, indicated that Major Đặng took direct actions that caused these deaths.[4][5] There are other accounts, which suggested Major Dang was at the right time and place for a set-up by third party with interests in seeing the Diệm regime fall. Arthur Dommen and Ellen Hammer speculated that an American serviceman and a handful of CIA operatives orchestrated the entire affair.[6]
Marguerite Higgins and an independent United Nations investigative team reported on May 8, 1963 at 8:00 p.m. that a large crowd, under the leadership of Buddhist monk Thích Trí Quang, besieged Huế radio station to broadcast Thich Tri Quang's fiery speeches which were considered anti-government by US and South Vietnam officials. The station director refused their request and denied the demonstrators access. He called on the local fire station and government security forces. The firemen were unable to disperse the crowd with fire hose. With authorization and request from Saigon Headquarters, Major Dang's security forces arrived, with armored vehicles, to negotiate with Thich Tri Quang and the station director. An agreement was reached and the Venerable was working to disperse the crowd. Suddenly, two explosions blasted from the exterior of the radio station, mortally wounded innocent young bystanders, while Provincial Head Dang and Thich Tri Quang were inside, triggering a massive stampede that threatened to overrun the radio station. To defend against possible Việt Cộng attack in darkness, Major Dang signaled his men, with three shots to the air, to use MK3A2 concussion grenades to subdue the advancing crowd and secure the area. The casualties from the two explosions were eight children and one adult.[7] There were no claims of injuries from Major Dang's actions at that night[3][5].
The media seized the casualties as human rights violation and added this event to the list of other human rights violations that they deemed committed by South Vietnam. Upon the negative media storm and U.S. government disapproval, the First Republic government investigated, paid to the victims' families, dismissed charges of misconduct by the military, and released Major Dang from confinement[6][7]. The findings made by United Nations were ignored when South Vietnam government was replaced. Following the coup, the South Vietnamese Military Junta confiscated, arrested, tried Major Dang and sentenced him to death in 1964. The charges included disobeying superior order, having armored vehicles ran over protesters, and using high explosives for crowd control. Major Dang, primarily on his own, maintained his and his men's innocence. He stated he used the only available crowd control provided to the military, and he acted only with orders from Saigon Headquarters. The prosecution presented uncorroborated testimonies from witnesses who claimed Major Dang either ordered his troop to deploy live munition to the crowd or deployed grenades into the crowd himself. At international press trial observation, the Military Tribunal could not convict Major Dang of the charges, instead, they held him responsible for the resulting disorders that plagued the new government. 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.[6][8] A year later, facing even more internal unrest and U.S. government disapproval, the Revolutionary Council commuted Major Dang's sentence to life with hard labor at Côn Sơn with payments to victims' families[6][7]. The remaining government personnel involved with the Hue Radio Station incident were released[8].
After a massive campaign from the U.S. over Major Dang's unfair treatment, the Second Republic government repealed the life sentence and restored his rank in 1967. Major Dang chose to resign to civilian life and worked at Bank of America in Saigon. From 1969 until the Fall of Saigon, he was the chairman of the executive board for an import-export company, South Asia Facilities. After April 1975, Mr. Dang was imprisoned for his military career with the former regime. In March 1980, Mr. Dang was released and escaped to Indonesia by boat. He was reunited with his family in December of the same year. Subsequently, he worked with Baltimore County Department of Social Services and U.S. Catholic Charities to help Vietnamese refugees until his retirement.
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
^ Dates of birth and death per Social Security Death Index, under surname DANG, firstname SY
^ "The Situation in Vietnam", CIA Weekly Report (June 1964)
^ Telegram From the Embassy in Vietnam to the Department of State (June 1964)
^ "The Indochinese experience of the French and the Americans: Nationalism and Communism in Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam"
Lodge in Vietnam: A Patriot Abroad by Anne E. Blair; Yale University Press (1995) ISBN 9780300143928
"The Impossible Prayer", The Baltimore Sun (1987)
Current Wikipedia Article
Major Matthew Sy Dang, (Vietnamese: Matheo Đặng Sỹ; July 29, 1929 – November 11, 2006[1][2]) was an officer in the Army of the Republic of Vietnam. He acquired a degree of infamy for ordering his soldiers to open fire on a crowd of Buddhists demonstrating against a ban on the Buddhist flag, leading to the Huế Vesak shootings in which nine people died. This sparked the Buddhist crisis and downfall of Ngô Đình Diệm.
Born in the province of Thừa Thiên, Huế, Sy Dang came from a long line of devout Roman Catholics, including Michael Dinh-Hy Ho, one of the so-called "Vietnamese Martyrs".[3] He attended a Lasallian school, graduated from National Military Academy of Da Lat as 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 French garrison. He tried the prospect of being a Christian Brother, like his mother's brother, but found he was not suited for a "pious", teaching life. He decided to follow a military career. He married Cam De Nguyen at the age of twenty-one. She converted to Roman Catholicism; the couple had ten children.[citation needed]
After his graduation from Vietnamese National Military Academy of Da Lat and having attended the U.S. Infantry Center & School at Fort Benning, Sy Dang quickly progressed to the rank of major, assigned to the First Infantry Division and was named as deputy Governor and Security Chief, in charge of Thừa Thiên and Huế city. While in this position, he was embroiled in the midst of political unrests such as the Huế Vesak shootings. He ordered his men to open fire on the unarmed demonstrators, and nine were murdered in the ensuing chaos.[citation needed].
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 CIA reports and U.S. State Department weekly reports, indicated that Major Đặng took direct actions that caused these deaths.[4][5] There are other minority accounts, which suggested Major Đặng was at the right time and place for a set-up by third party with interests in seeing the 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]
Marguerite Higgins and an independent United Nations investigative team reported on May 8, 1963 at 8:00 p.m. that a large crowd, under the leadership of Vietnamese 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 "Việt Cộng attack" in darkness, Dang signaled his men, with three shots to the air, to use 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.
In 1967, the Thiệu civilian government repealed the life sentence and restored his rank. Dang chose to resign to civilian life and worked at Bank of America in Saigon.
From 1969 until the Fall of Saigon, he was the chairman of the executive board for an import-export company, South Asia Facilities. After April 1975, Dang was imprisoned for his military career with the former regime. In March 1980, Dang was released and escaped to Indonesia by boat. He was reunited with his family in December of the same year. Subsequently, he worked with Baltimore County Department of Social Services and U.S. Catholic Charities to help Vietnamese refugees until his retirement.
Sy Dang died on November 11, 2006, aged 77, at his home in Maryland.
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
^ Dates of birth and death per Social Security Death Index, under surname DANG, firstname SY
^ "The Situation in Vietnam", CIA Weekly Report (June 1964)
^ Telegram From the Embassy in Vietnam to the Department of State (June 1964)
^ "The Indochinese experience of the French and the Americans: Nationalism and Communism in Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam"
Lodge in Vietnam: A Patriot Abroad by Anne E. Blair; Yale University Press (1995) ISBN 9780300143928
"The Impossible Prayer", The Baltimore Sun (1987)
Compare and Contrast
The original article was hijacked and taken out of context as a means to debase the subject matter. There are many misstated facts that the subsequent editors put in. These editors, along with Wikipedia admins, refused to correct these inaccuracies.
No published source indicated that Matthew Dang Sy had ever acquired any infamy for doing anything. If not, his deeds were ignored.
Despite many listed sources indicated that Major Dang received orders from his superiors, the editors removed these facts and stated he all acted on his own.
There is a big confusion about the fact that only the Provincial Head and Thich Tri Quang were inside the radio station. Major Dang was outside for the entire Incident at Hue Radio station, which made him the sole witness at the Trial of Dang Sy. Due to the similarity between the Provincial Head's first name and Major Dang's last name, Wikipedia editors feign ignorance and pretend to perpetuate such misinformation.
Many listed sources indicated Major Dang did not order anything, only his government accusers were doing so, in court.
Huế Vesak shootings is an unsupported reference to the Hue radio station incident that has been identified in books about the Vietnam War. By perpetuating such unsupported references, this Wikipedia article violated the company's primary policy.
At the Trial of Dang Sy, the charges brought forth by the government did not include any shootings. Only one book, written by Truong Vinh in 2010, indicated that the government did have records of ammunitions distributed to the First Division in Hue. However, this was not presented at the Trial since no one in the Security Contingent acknowledged that they received ammunition on the night of the Hue radio station incident.
Many books stated that the claim of Major Dang's troop shooting into unarmed crowd only served to disprove the government charges, rendering a non-conviction to Major Dang. Marguerite Higgins went further, calling the claim "stupid". CIA Director in Saigon Colby indicated that there was no shooting at the Hue Radio Station incident.
In 2016, Saigon TV released a video series about the First Republic, where Major Dang was briefly mentioned. The image of Mr. Dang's likeness that Wikipedia put under copyright protection was used along with images of crushed cycles to remark that Mr. Dang's troop vehicles ran over emptied bikes belonging to women protesters at the Hue radio station.
No source indicated where Mr. Dang died. The editors added this section with no truth or cited sources.
Adding personal information about Mr. Dang's living family members, while this is not from cited work, it is a violation of Wikipedia's policy about referencing living person.
Wikipedia articles about South Vietnam during the 1960s are primarily written to exonerate Nguyen Khanh, claiming he was acting as a neutral figurehead. The editors hope to counter facts from published sources written by US officials and other US media correspondences about Nguyen Khanh.
The articles' editors tried to poke fun at South Vietnam government with childish swipes at their characters. Despite repeated calls to remove opinionated edits, Wikipedia's subject admins refused and locked out anyone who attempted to remove these childish, unsupported comments in the articles.
These shameful, ostentatious acts of paid, self-serving campaigns are clear violations of Wikipedia editing policies. Upon contacting Wikipedia General Counsel in 2011, the company agreed to remove all images related to the subject matter and enforces copyright infringement upon any editors who try to use these images as resources. The company, however, cannot make the editors or administrators correct their contents due to the First Amendment.