Vietnamese American Wins Lawsuit Against Vietnamese Republicans for Defamation

by Mark Liu
12/19/07

In a case surrounding the controversial issue of the Vietnamese flag, Tuan Joseph Pham, 71, won a lawsuit against seven defendants who were found guilty of defaming Pham's name and ruining his business, Capitol Market, a grocery store in St. Paul, Minnesota.   This past month, the Minnesota Supreme Court upheld the decision of the lower courts to award Pham $353,000.

The controversy started in 2003 when Bishop Hoang Van Tiem of North Vietnam visited St. Paul.   Pham, a leader in the Vietnamese Catholic community, organized Bishop Tiem's visit to St. Paul.   When they stopped at the Vietnam Center where space was rented out for a private event in Bishop Tiem's honor, Tiem expressed concern over the flag of the Republic of Vietnam flying over the building.   If he was pictured with symbols of the Republic of Vietnam, he felt he could jeopardize his position as bishop and put himself and his church in danger.   Yen Van Pham, an organizer of the event, had the flag lowered while the bishop entered the building and had it raised again later.

When the defendants heard of the news, they accused Pham and others of putting the Communist government in front of the Republic.   They organized protests in front of the Vietnam Center, Pham's home, and his business.   They also called for his resignation from the Vietnamese Educational Foundation.   Some of the protest leaders held leadership positions in the community such as serving on the board of Vietnam Social Services and president of the Vietnamese Women's Association.   The issue was debated hotly on Vietnamese radio programs.

The chair of the Vietnam Center and Vietnam Social Services issued an apology in a local Vietnamese newspaper.   Pham who was a prisoner of the Communist government himself, ended up resigning from the Vietnamese Educational Foundation to avoid tarnishing the organization.   Pham also ended up closing his business and leasing the space to a nail salon.

Pham says he plans to use the money that was awarded him to build two Buddhist schools and one Catholic school in Vietnam.   He also called the victory "my legacy to my children and the Vietnamese community across the United States."   He continues on to say, "A person's hard-earned reputation cannot be destroyed without legal consequences."