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Categories: 1948 births | 2004 deaths | National liberation movements | Vietnamese mobsters | Vietnam War people
Nam Cam
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. He was born in Saigon, Vietnam.
Biography
When he was 15 years old, he was arrested for stabbing a man to death in a fight and spent two years in jail.
Vowing to make a change in his life he chose to joined the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) in 1966, to fight against Communism.
A devout anti-communist, he remained in Vietnam during the Fall of Saigon, to defend South Vietnam from invading North Vietnamese army and their Viet Cong agents.
He was captured by the North Vietnamese Army (NVA) and sent to a re-education by the Communist Government.
In 1994, he was arrested and convicted for his criminal dealings, but was released early in May 1995, by the intervention by Head of State Radio Tran Mai Hanh and Pham Sy Chien, the Deputy National Chief Prosecutor.
He used his wealth to corrupt all high ranked Communist cadres even the Communist leaders and high ranked Communist party members to combine with him doing all out law affairs to make big money.
He was charged with Murder, Assault, Gambling, Organising gambling, Organising bribery, Abetting criminals, and Organising illegal emigration.
Among the more sensational accounts of his criminal activities was his role in the assassination of underworld rival Dung Ha.
Dung Ha, a reputed lesbian gangster from Haiphong, Northern Vietnam moved to Ho Chi Minh City to join forces with Nam Cam, who hoped to get her serve as his emissary in expanding his casinos in Northern Vietnam. 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 and Dung Ha was murdered on October 2, 2000.
On June 4, 2003, Nam Cam was convicted for ordering the assassination of rival underworld figure Dung Ha, and bribing state officials to protect his criminal network.
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 and Pham Sy Chien, a former deputy national chief prosecutor, was found guilty of receiving a stereo worth $1,800 for 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.
Quote
- "The Communists may have thought they defeated South Vietnam, but I have shown that they are rotten to the core with corruption"
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