Vietnam activist cleared of terrorism

Protesters have torched themselves in the past

An anti-communist activist who allegedly tried to set fire to herself in the United States as a protest against a visit by a senior Vietnamese official has been acquitted of a terrorism charge, but found guilty on several lesser counts.

Ngoc-Han Nguyen had tried to light a torch and a T-shirt soaked in gasoline during a visit to San Francisco by a Vietnamese trade delegation led by Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung last year.

I wanted to light the flame that illuminates the conscience of humanity

Ngoc-Han Nguyen

Although she was acquitted of terrorism, she was found guilty of attempted arson and assault on federal agents.

Nguyen - dubbed the Freedom Fighter Lady by her supporters in the Vietnamese refugee community - will be sentenced in December.

Witnesses said Nguyen carried a black bag to the front of a ballroom in the Marriott Hotel where the minister was making a speech.

The bag contained torches and gasoline, which she then tried to light before security guards tackled her.

No attack planned

Nguyen's lawyer Gregor D Guy-Smith argued that his client had not been planning to attack any of the delegation, but that in fact she had intended to set fire to herself in protest.

"My client is consistently saying the same thing, she came here to protest. She came here to light herself on fire," he said in his closing arguments.

We're not in the communist regime of Vietnam, we're in the United States of America - self-immolation is not the only avenue

Assistant US Attorney Kyle Waldinger

"I wanted to light the flame that illuminates the conscience of humanity," Nguyen said during her trial.

Self-immolation is a traditional Vietnamese form of protest that became famous in 1963 when a Buddhist monk was photographed setting himself ablaze in what is now Ho Chi Minh City.

But the prosecution argued that Nguyen, a 47-year-old Vietnamese citizen who lives in Paris, has been accused of violent protests before.

Popular support

According to recent reports she is thought to have staged a number of other previous attempted arson attacks on Vietnamese diplomatic buildings in Paris and London.

"We're not in the communist regime of Vietnam, we're in the United States of America. Self-immolation is not the only avenue," Assistant US Attorney Kyle Waldinger said.

"Every action was consistent with wanting to do damage to the people in that room and the room itself," he added.

Nguyen enjoys great support among Vietnamese refugees, about 100 of whom turned up at the court for the trial.

"She spoke up for the 18 million people back home under oppression," said Ky Ngo, an adviser to the Vietnamese-American Community of Northern California.