[news] Former Hanoi Enemy Urges Saigon to Be Patient

[Dam Son <son@u.washington.edu>]

 Former Hanoi Enemy Urges Saigon to Be Patient 

                 By Adrian Edwards 

                 HANOI, Aug 3 (Reuter) - A former South
                 Vietnam soldier, who made history during
                 the past week by being elected to Vietnam's
                 National Assembly, has urged an end to
                 animosity against Hanoi by former
                 supporters of the U.S.-backed Saigon
                 regime. 

                 ``My message to them, is be patient,'' he
                 said in an interview with Reuters. ``Now it's
                 really far since reunification. It's been more
                 than 20 years. It's time to look to the future.''

                 Tran Thanh Trai, a surgeon who held the
                 rank of major in the Army of the Republic of
                 Vietnam, was appointed to Vietnam's
                 parliament following polls in mid-July in
                 which he received the second highest vote of
                 any candidate in Ho Chi Minh City, formally
                 Saigon. 

                 By all accounts, he had genuine popular
                 support in a city still viewed as potentially
                 rebellious and where 22 years after the
                 Vietnam War ended, the bitter taste of defeat
                 is, for many, still strong. 

                 But the soft-spoken doctor -- now a
                 prominent surgeon known for his work in
                 separating Siamese twins -- was both
                 cautious about referring to that past and
                 optimistic about what his election meant for
                 the hundreds of thousands of Vietnamese
                 who bear scars of association with the Saigon
                 regime. 

                 ``I think my success in the election shows the
                 Communist Party and government have a
                 programme for people like me, who served in
                 the south and who accept law in the
                 communist country, to participate,'' he said.
                 ``I believe that.'' 

                 Trai's appointment to Vietnam's parliament
                 was arguably the most significant factor in
                 last month's election for a legislature that
                 remains still a domain of mostly anonymous
                 party loyalists and other hand-picked
                 deputies. 

                 All but 66 people in the new 450-seat
                 legislature are members of the ruling
                 Communist Party. Trai was one of those 66.
                 More significantly, he was one of only three
                 successful candidates to have stood for
                 election without the formal backing of the
                 state. 

                 ``I think in the future, the National Assembly
                 will work very closely with what the people
                 want,'' he said. ``And mostly the people want
                 new laws against corruption.'' 
 
                 Trai graduated from medical school in 1966
                 and was serving as a military surgeon at the
                 time the war ended in 1975. He spent three
                 years undergoing ``re-education'' at the
                 hands of the northern victors. 

                 But his success now in being elected could
                 bring both support from his southern
                 compatriots, and possible criticism in some
                 quarters for having sold out to Hanoi. 

                 While Vietnam has been unified for more
                 than two decades, regionalism continues to
                 play a strong role. Inside Vietnam,
                 north-south dislike is often openly
                 expressed. Communist Party officials say
                 overseas Vietnamese groups are actively
                 working to subvert Hanoi. 

                 Trai indicated little concern about such
                 problems and said his role as a National
                 Assembly member would be to help bring
                 about improved social conditions, by
                 lobbying for a better system of health care. 

                 ``I think people should be patient. I think
                 improvements) in Vietnam may be slow,'' he
                 said. ``But there will be changes.'' 


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