BBC News Online: World: Asia-Pacific

Vietnam tries opposition group

The defendants are alleged to be members of a group operating out of Thailand and Cambodia that aims to launching armed attacks and distributing political leaflets within Vietnam.

The group is run by an American citizen of Vietnamese origin, Nguyen Huu Chanh, who is wanted by the authorities in Hanoi.

Under Vietnamese law, the 37 face sentences ranging from 12 years to death. It is extremely rare for a criminal court in Vietnam to find a defendant not guilty.

The trial, in the southern Ho Chi Minh City, is expected to last about 10 days.

Infiltration

Vietnam's state media said that the accused were among 50 members of the Government of Free Vietnam organisation who were arrested in 1999 and 2000.

One of those detained is said to have died of Aids during detention, but the fate of the others not facing trial has not been explained.

The organisation is said to have been infiltrating the country since 1999 with weapons, explosives and leaflets aimed at causing political instability. None of the attacks succeeded, media said.

Mr Chanh's group is one of several opposition organisations which have appeared since the communist government in Hanoi gained control of South Vietnam in 1975.