A northern Phu Yen Province court has sentenced a 65-year-old man, Ngo Hao, to 15 years in prison for conducting reactionary activities aimed at subverting the people’s administration.

According to the indictment, Ngo Hao, who was arrested in early February 2013, wrote many articles and distributed various documents all of which contained distorted information about the regime and defamed leaders of the country during the period between 2008 and December 2012.

Hao, a resident of Tuy Hoa City, carried out such reactionary activities under the direction of Nguyen Chinh Ket, a member of an overseas organization called Bloc 8406, with an aim to topple the administration of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, the provincial People’s Court said.

The old man also conducted activities under the principle and goals of the so-called “Exiled Government of the Republic of Vietnam” led by Nguyen Van Chuc, a reactionary in the US.

Through these activities, Hao incited many people to join him in searching for weapons hidden by a former governor of Go Cong province under the Saigon regime before 1975, Nguyen Tat Thinh, and received materials defaming the Government, the Communist Party of Vietnam, and some religions. 

Hao had many times received money from the above reactionary organization for many times and also asked the organization to send money to those who took part in activities that he organized.

Hao’s reactionary activities were uncovered early this year and the provincial police took legal proceedings against him on February 7, 2013.

He was detained a day later on charges of  implementing activities to overthrow the people’s administration, in pursuant to Clause 1, Article 79 of the Criminal Code.