Leaders of the Triều đại Việt (Việt Dynasty) organisation. — Photo from the Ministry of Public Security

HÀ NỘI — The Canada-based Triều đại Việt (Việt Dynasty) organisation, infamous for its motto of "Burn all, Kill all, Destroy all, Pillage all", was designated as a terrorist organisation by the Ministry of Public Security on Tuesday.

The label means that anyone who participates in the organisation, attempts to recruit members for the organisation, sponsors or receives sponsorship from it, take part in its training courses, or follows its instructions would be charged with the crimes of “terrorism” and “sponsoring terrorism” and would be handled in pursuance to Việt Nam’s law, the ministry said.

According to the public ministry, Triều đại Việt was established by former members of a terrorist organisation called the Provisional National Government of Việt Nam in January 2018.

Headquartered in 31 RVE Meunited West, Laval, Quebec Province of Canada, the organisation operates many websites and media channels, including Triều đại việt, Free Bibet, Hoàng Kỳ, Giải độc chính trị (Political detoxification), Việt Nam today, Việt tự do (Free Việt), Radio tiếng nói quốc dân (Radio channel for nation’s people), among others.

The leaders are Ngô Văn Hoàng Hùng, born in 1952 in Tiền Giang Province, who has Canadian citizenship and claimed to be commander-in-chief of Triều đại Việt; Trần Thanh Đình, born in 1957 in Nam Định Province and currently holding German citizenship, who titled himself as the Deputy Prime Minister of Triều đại Việt; Ngô Mạnh Cương, born in 1961 in HCM City, current holding French citizenship and claimed to be head of the General Department for Special Operations; and Huỳnh Thanh Hoàng, born in 1976, with American citizenship and the role as the spokesperson for the organisation.

The organisation’s modus operandi is conducting armed rebellions, providing finance and instructing its cells in Việt Nam to carry out terrorist and destruction activities and inciting people to take to the streets to stage demonstrations and engage in riots to overthrow the people’s administration, the Vietnamese public security ministry said.

It has reportedly sent tens of thousands of US dollars and hundreds of millions of Vietnamese đồng to its members in Việt Nam to purchase weapons, make bombs, mines and flags, and print reactionary leaflets and slogans.

Hoàng Hùng’s latest terrorist attempt was in 2018 August when he directed a so-called 'Phantom Squad' based in Thailand led by a man named as Nguyễn Văn Hùng, together with six other Vietnamese to cross into the southern localities of Việt Nam via Cambodia and planned to set off bombs during National Day (September 2) that year but the plan was foiled by the police.

Many of the members in Việt Nam, mostly in the southern provinces, have stood trial for the charges of “carrying out terrorist activities aimed at overthrowing the people’s administration” as well as illegal trade of explosives September last year during an attack on a police station in HCM City in 2018, during the protests against the highly controversial draft law on special economic zones. — VNS