Hanoi - Vietnam has released three of the four Vietnamese-born US citizens it arrested in November and accused of involvement in terrorism, the US embassy here confirmed Wednesday. "We welcome the news that these three American citizens have been released," it said in a statement.
Leon Truong, a member of a US-based pro-democracy group called the Viet Tan party, left Vietnam on a Taipei-bound flight Tuesday night, Vietnamese television reported. He had been arrested November 17 in Ho Chi Minh City along with five other Viet Tan activists.
The Vietnamese government accused the group of involvement in terrorism. Viet Tan spokesmen said they were planning peaceful political protests.
Le Van Phan and his wife Nguyen Thi Thinh were also released from jail and were scheduled to depart Vietnam Wednesday, the embassy official said.
The couple was arrested at the Ho Chi Minh City airport November 23, after a gun and ammunition were allegedly found in their luggage. Vietnamese press reports said the two had confessed to carrying the gun, and accused them of involvement with the Viet Tan party.
Viet Tan sources said the two were not linked to the group and denied any knowledge of them.
A fourth US citizen, Nguyen Quoc Quan, a Viet Tan member arrested November 17, remains in custody. The authorities said Quan entered the country on a forged Cambodian passport, adding to the charges against him.
In a press conference Tuesday, US Ambassador Michael Michalak criticized Vietnam's refusal to make formal charges public, and to present evidence they had been involved in terrorism.
