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Ten people charged in an alleged plot to overthrow the communist
government of Laos pleaded not guilty Monday to conspiracy charges
that could bring them life in prison.
The brief proceeding in U.S. District Court followed a grand
jury indictment last week against Westminster resident Vang Pao, a
77-year-old former general in the Royal Army of Laos, and nine
other members of California's large Hmong community.
Also charged was Harrison Jack, a 60-year-old former Army Ranger
who led covert operations and worked with Hmong fighters during the
Vietnam War.
One of the alleged conspirators, 48-year-old Dang Vang of
Fresno, was arraigned on Friday and also pleaded not guilty. He did
not appear in court on Monday with the others.
The charges continue to reverberate throughout the Hmong
community, which is concentrated in California's Central Valley
and includes thousands who fled following the 1975 takeover of Laos
by the communists.
On Monday, an orderly crowd of 1,200 to 1,500 demonstrated
outside the federal courthouse in Sacramento and the state Capitol.
Many Hmong said they feel betrayed that the U.S. government has not
done enough to stop the persecution of Hmong in Laos and now is
turning on their leaders in the United States.
"This is a long story that has to be told from the beginning,"
attorney William Portanova, who represents defendant Lo Thao, 53,
of Sacramento, said outside the courthouse. "And the beginning is
not in January '07; the beginning is in 1951. That's where we're
starting. And when the story's told, they're not guilty."
In addition to Jack, Vang Pao and Lo Thao, the others arraigned
Monday were: Lo Cha Thao, 34, of Clovis; Youa True Vang, 60, of
Sanger; Hue Vang, 39, of Fresno; Chong Yang Thao, 53, of Fresno;
Seng Vue, 68, of Fresno; Chue Lo, 59, of Stockton; and Nhia Kao
Vang, 48, of Rancho Cordova.
Judges have refused to set bail during previous hearings, saying
each defendant could be a flight risk or pose a danger to
society.
Attorney Shari Rusk argued that her client, Chue Lo, should be
released because he simply attended two meetings as a clan
leader.
She acknowledged that weapons were displayed at one of those
meetings but said Vang Pao is so influential that her client had no
choice but to attend.
"It's beyond 'If the president of the United States asked you
to go, would you go,"' Rusk told Magistrate Dale Drozd. "It's not
even a decision. There's no question about it."
Drozd postponed a decision on whether Rusk's client could be
released.
The indictment alleges that Chue Lo was among those present
during a Feb. 7 meeting at a Thai restaurant in downtown
Sacramento. The alleged conspirators were meeting with a person
they believed was a weapons broker but who actually was an
undercover federal agent.
After leaving the restaurant, they examined a truckload of
weapons that contained samples of AK-47s, M-16s, C-4 explosives,
anti-tank rockets, rocket-propelled grenades and Claymore mines,
according to the indictment.
The 10 defendants who appeared in court Monday were previously
charged under federal complaints, which were replaced with the
federal grand jury indictment that was issued Thursday.
All 11 are charged with conspiring to violate the Neutrality Act
against a nation with which the United States is at peace;
conspiracy to kill, kidnap and maim; conspiracy to possess firearms
and destructive devices; and conspiracy to export munitions without
a State Department license.
Federal prosecutors say the defendants intended to buy nearly
$10 million worth of weapons. All except Seng Vue and Chue Lo also
were charged with conspiracy to receive and possess Stinger missile
systems designed to destroy an aircraft.
Earlier this year, Jack, a former California National Guard
officer, sent an email to friends suggesting the Lao government was
planning mass killings of Hmong remaining in the country. That
apparently was the genesis of the alleged overthrow plot.
Many Hmong have fled to Thailand, where they live in refugee
camps. Those who came to the United States are concentrated in
California, Minnesota and Wisconsin.
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