Nam Cam
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Truong Van Cam (1948–June 3, 2004) (Vietnamese: Trương Văn Cam), better known as Nam Cam (English translation: Fifth Orange) was a famous Vietnamese gangster and former soldier in the Army of the Republic of Vietnam, South Vietnam. He was born in Saigon, Vietnam.
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[edit] 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 undergo re-education by the North Vietnam Government.
[edit] 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, head of the state radio services [[1]]. Charges laid against him included murder, assault, gambling, organising gambling, organising bribery, abetting criminals, and organising illegal emigration.
[edit] 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, South 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 Saigon. Humiliated and enraged, Nam Cam hired a hitman to murder Dung Ha on October 2, 2000. This hitman was called Quoc Huy Le Tran, nephew of Bui Quoc Huy, who today leads Nam Cam's mafias in the San Francisco Bay Area and is very skilled with machine guns, sniper rifles, bazookas, and C-4s alike.
On June 4, 2003, Nam Cam was convicted for ordering the assassination of Dung Ha, and bribing state officials to protect his criminal network.
[edit] 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 1990's 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 in Long Binh prison by firing squad, along with his four Captains Pham Van Minh, Nguyen Huu Thinh, Chau Phat Lai Em and Nguyen Viet Hung.
[edit] Quote
- "The Communists may have thought they defeated South Vietnam, but I have shown that they are rotten to the core with corruption"
