The Ho Chi Minh City-based Supreme People’s Court on August 18 openedits second instance trial of Tran Thi Thuy and her accomplices oncharges of “working to overthrow the people’s administration” pursuantto Clause 2, Article 79 of Vietnam’s Penal Code.

The hearing was held at the People’s Court of the Mekong Deltaprovince of Ben Tre after Tran Thi Thuy, Pham Van Thong, Duong KimKhai and Cao Van Tinh lodged appeals.

According tothe verdict of the first hearing held by the Ben Tre provincial People’sCourt on May 30, these people, under the arrangement of the reactionaryVietnam Reform Party (Viet Nam Canh Tan Cach Mang Dang or Viet Tan forshort), went to Thailand and Cambodia to study and receive training inguidelines and goals as well as action plans to overthrow the people’sadministration through a method of “non-violence”.

After being admitted to this organisation, they were assigned tasksand given money to forward slogans, leaflets and documents to Vietnamand recruit people to be sent to Thailand and Cambodia fortraining.

Through the instruction ofthe Viet Tan organisation, the defendants set up an organisation called“Hiep hoi than huu nguoi Viet Nam tuong tro” (Vietnamese Associationof Friendship and Mutual Assistance) and gathered forces to conductrebellions nationwide.

With those guiltyacts, the first trial handed down sentences of eight years ofimprisonment to Tran Thi Thuy, seven years to Pham Van Thong, six yearsto Duong Kim Khai and five years to Cao Van Tinh. They were alsosentenced to a five-year probation after serving their prison terms.

At the second hearing, the jury determined that theinitial verdict was appropriate with the nature and dangerousness ofthe defendants’ violations.

However, based on therepentance of Khai and Tinh, the jury accepted their appeals to reduceimprisonment terms and handed down five years of imprisonment to Khaiand four and a half years to Tinh, respective decreases of one year andsix months compared with the first verdict./.