Năm Cam ( ;
1948 –
2004 June 3) was a famous
Vietnamese gangster and former
soldier in the
Army of
the Republic of Vietnam,
South
Vietnam.
He was born in Saigon
, Vietnam
.
200 px
Early life
When Nam Cam was 15 years old, he was arrested for stabbing a man
to death in a fight. He subsequently spent two years in
jail. Upon his release, he joined the
Army of the Republic of
Vietnam (ARVN) in 1966, to fight against
communist North Vietnam. Nam Cam was a devout
anti-communist, and he remained in
Vietnam during the
Fall of Saigon, to
help defend
South Vietnam from the
invading
North Vietnamese army and
their
Viet Cong agents.
He eventually was captured by the
North Vietnamese
Army (NVA) and was forced to undergo
re-education by the North Vietnam
Government.
Life as a criminal
He involved himself in criminal activity, amassing substantial
wealth for himself. In 1994, he was arrested and convicted for his
criminal dealings, but was released early in May 1995 after an
intervention by Tran Mai Hanh, director of
Radio the Voice of Vietnam.
[100715] Charges laid against him included
murder,
assault,
gambling, organising gambling, organising
bribery, abetting criminals, and organising illegal
emigration.
Assassination of Dung Ha
The conviction that would lead, perhaps indirectly, to his
execution was due to his role in the assassination of underworld
rival
Dung Ha.
Dung Ha, a reputed
female gangster from Haiphong
, northern
Vietnam moved to Ho Chi Minh
City, southern Vietnam to join force with Nam Cam, who
hoped to get her serve as his emissary in expanding his casinos in northern Vietnam. However, Dung Ha
had other plans to create her own gang, which angered Nam Cam. Dung
Ha wanted to embarrass Nam Cam and arranged for a gift box
containing rats to be delivered to one of Nam Cam's restaurants, in
Ho Chi Minh City. Humiliated and enraged, Nam Cam hired a
hitman to murder Dung Ha on October 2, 2000.
On June 4, 2003, Nam Cam was convicted for ordering the
assassination of Dung Ha, and bribing state officials to protect
his criminal network.
Fallout from his conviction
Subsequently, former Ho Chi Minh
City police chief (1996-2001), Bui Quoc Huy, was found guilty of negligence
for allowing Nam Cam's illegal gambling business to
flourish. Tran Mai Hanh, the former head of state radio, was
found guilty of receiving bribes of $6,000, plus an Omega
watch valued at $2,500. Pham Sy Chien, a former deputy
national chief prosecutor, was found guilty of receiving a stereo
worth $1,800 for arranging Nam Cam's early release in the 1990s
from a labor camp (where he was serving time on earlier
charges).
The communist government touted the case as proof that they were
determined to stamp out organised crime and corruption, a major
source of discontent among Vietnamese. On May 7, 2004, President
Tran Duc Luong of Vietnam, rejected
Nam Cam's appeal of execution. On June 3, 2004, Nam Cam was
executed at the district 9 rifle range Ho Chi Minh city by firing
squad, along with his four gang members Pham Van Minh, Nguyen Huu
Thinh, Chau Phat Lai Em and Nguyen Viet Hung, the last two being
Dung Ha's killers.
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