The Vietnamese - Module D

In this module, YOU will be examining the Vietnamese experience in Canada, by deriving an understanding of how this community came to be in Canada, the pressures and problems exerted upon this community, and the causation and nature of Vietnamese crime in this country.

Objectives

AT THE END OF THIS MODULE YOU WILL BE ABLE TO:

(A) Explain the nature of the crisis which followed the unification of Vietnam, and how this impacted upon Canada.

(B) Determine and explain the difficulties encountered by Vietnamese persons in acclimatizing to Canadian society.

(C) Identify three important things to know when conducting a vehicle check of suspected Vietnamese criminals.

(D) List five areas of criminal activity involving Vietnamese criminals operating in Canada today.

Boat People, Immigration and Repatriation

"A million may set out...nobody knows how many reach land.
A loss rate of 50 per cent would not be out of the way."
-Sir Murray Maclehouse, Governor of Hong Kong
June 19th, 1979

The fall of South Vietnam in April 1975 triggered one of the greatest exodus in modern times. Several million people, an exact tally will never be known, fled the country over the next fifteen years, scattering some 1.6 million Vietnamese refugees and immigrants throughout the world.

North Vietnamese subjugation of the country created an immediate panic at the end of the war, causing tens of thousands to flee by land and sea to neighbouring countries. In some cases, the United States government was able to assist in the evacuation of some Vietnamese nationals with their own civilian, diplomatic, and remaining military personnel, but these persons represented only a small fraction of those wanting to leave their doomed country.

The reunification of Vietnam, under the communist regime, didn't bring lasting peace, and the region and new nation remained highly unstable. Vietnamese military incursions into neighbouring countries such as Laos and Kampea, and a brief war with China, left an already shattered economy in ruins. Terror and imprisonment of former foes of the communist government, collectivization of land, and other efforts to build a communist model economy, coupled with a U.S. trade embargo imposed after the war, did nothing to restore Vietnam to prosperity, in fact, Vietnam, never a wealthy country, tumbled to one of the poorest in the world.

During the late 70's, pressure in Vietnam finally reached a breaking point, and hundreds of thousands deserted the country, often leaving in leaky boats provided by unscrupulous persons who profited greatly from the misery of their countrymen. This vast wave of humanity which began to lap up on the shores of the countries around the South China Sea, became known as "the Boat People."

The danger of this difficult sea voyage, often made by people with no previous knowledge of the sea, navigation, and in unsafe craft, resulted in countless deaths. The Boat People's suffering was further compounded by the unwelcoming reception often dealt them by their host countries, who were neither prepared for the mass invasion, nor particularly welcoming of the tremendous financial imposition caused by the arrival of so many refugees to countries whose own economies were themselves perilously weak.

Consequently, most Boat People were herded into hastily prepared refugee camps, left there to wait, often for years, until a new country accepted them. These camps, were frequently no better than prisons, and proved to be a breeding ground for exploitation and criminal activity, the legacy of which would impact upon the emigre Vietnamese communities and their host countries for years to come.

Despite a gradual softening of the Vietnamese regime towards it's former enemies, and improvements in the nation's economy, lack of opportunity and continued political oppression, or fear of it, lead many to continue to leave the country. By the early 1990's however, the continued existence of refugee camps began to tax the world's patience, who began to accept that the original conditions from which the Boat People had fled Vietnam, were no longer valid.

During the 80's the United Nations refugee agency assisted some 76,000 Vietnamese refugees to voluntarily return to Vietnam, and had established monitoring agencies to ensure their fair treatment. Nevertheless, by the spring of 1995, some 37,000 people still remained in camps in such places as Hong Kong and Malaysia.

This led it is believed, to some acts of force, such as burning down of refugee camp homes and facilities, (the Philippines October 1995) making it as physically uncomfortable as possible to continue to exist under these conditions. Finally, the countries with the remaining refugees, simply forced them aboard planes, and dropped them off back in Vietnam. Today the camps are closed, but the bitterness and resentment remain a legacy.

Vietamese Immigration to Canada

While Canada did not participate in the Vietnam war, humanitarian reasons fuelled a generous acceptance of Vietnamese refugee and immigrant claimants following it's conclusion.

Vietnamese immigration to Canada has come in five consecutive waves, which began back in the 1950's and early sixties when students began to arrive taking their studies in Quebec. A number of these french speaking, primarily wealthy, students remained in Canada, to the extent that there were some 1200 persons of Vietnamese origin living in Quebec by 1970.

The American defeat in Vietnam, and subsequent fall of the South Vietnamese government in 1975, lead the Canadian government to accept 6500 Vietnamese immediately as political refugees. By the end of 1978, the total population had jumped to 10,000, spread amongst the five urban centres of Montreal, Toronto, Calgary, Edmonton, and Vancouver. The vast majority, some 80%, were ethnic Vietnamese, primarily men from professional, bureaucratic, military, or academic backgrounds.

Later in 1978, the exodus of boat people greatly increased Canada's commitment to Vietnamese settlement. The masses of refugees into neighbouring countries such as Thailand and Hong Kong created a desperate situation, and in response Canada accepted an additional 59,970 refugees over the next two years. Over 32,000 of these people were sponsored by some 6887 private groups and churches. This wave of refugees included a broader ethnic and cultural composition, including ethnic Vietnamese, Vietnamese Chinese, Lao, and Khmer persons.

While sponsorship attempted to disperse the refugees across the country, many subsequently migrated to the cities, especially Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, Edmonton, Calgary, and Vancouver. Throughout 1981 to 1986, there were further refugee claimants, and designated class immigrants totalling an additional 24,000 persons. Still others, 16,500, between 1984 and 1986, arrived in Canada through normal immigration channels. The Canadian government over these years worked at re-uniting families as well, bringing still further persons into Canada. Today, it is estimated that the Vietnamese population in Canada is at least 100,000, with over half living in urban areas in Ontario, and the rest spread roughly equally through Alberta, Quebec, and British Columbia.

In addition to former South Vietnamese persons entering Canada, there are numerous persons living here now from the former North Vietnam and from the present Republic of Vietnam. In the latter's case there have been several defections from Vietnamese trade delegations in recent years, indicative of the continuing unrest and failure of the country to resolve it's economic woes.

Vietnamese Settlement in Canada

Vietnamese Canadians remain primarily urban dwellers, or live in areas linked to urban communities. Often they have attempted to assume employment and business opportunities in their former fields, but language has hampered a return by many professionals to their former occupations. Vietnamese Chinese, essentially the merchant class in their former country, generally have assumed similar tasks in Canada with some success. Vietnamese also compose a portion of the Pacific coast fishing fleet. The younger generation of Vietnamese who were either children in their former country or were born in Canada, are now assuming a broader range of professions and vocations; for example, there are now several members of the RCMP of Vietnamese origin.

The initial insulation of all new immigrant communities is slowly giving way, as more and more Vietnamese become more comfortable and acclimatized in Canada. The Canadian Federation of Vietnamese Associations is a national umbrella network for a host of cultural, recreational and socio cultural groups across Canada whose general goal is to retain Vietnamese culture while facilitating social integration in Canada.

The Origins of Vietnamese Crime

The causation of crime, and the reasons why certain individuals engage in criminal activity forms a vast, if not exhaustive body of research, of which no doubt, the final word has yet to be said. No community, or people throughout the world appear to be immune to crime or criminal inclinations. Clearly to identify crime in terms of cultural or racial specificity does any people a great disservice, as the criminal element in all societies is representative of only the few.

The wave of Asian crime which has unfortunately accompanied Asian immigration in recent years, has been a matter of study and alarm. Largely due to it's relative unfamiliarity and scope prior to recent times, it has been a subject of significant public interest, and concern.

The roots of Vietnamese crime bears some of the somewhat romantic or mystical origins associated with other Asian crime. The Vietnamese appear to have been subject to the same development of Triads, in the like manner as the Chinese, and like the Chinese, their Triads were theoretically formed to fight oppression and injustice on behalf of the people. The Mafia in Italy of course, claims a similar heroic origin.

Whatever it's original nature, organized crime existed in Vietnam during the French Colonial regime, and continued to grow effectively during the brief existence of South Vietnam. Political and police corruption which were ripe in the country, only lent power and wealth to criminal organizations.

Vietnam, being a maritime nation, also has a long and deadly history of river and ocean piracy. Pirates continue the ply the waters of modern times, a fact tragically demonstrated during the boat people exodus from the country, in which many refugees were robbed, exploited, and murdered by pirates.

Vietnam has a long and painful history with opium. The Vietnamese criminal underworld continues, despite alleged government efforts, to be one of the leading exporters of this drug throughout the world.

Background of Vienamese Criminals

The Coordinated Law Enforcement Unit or CLEU, is police partnership involving the Vancouver City Police, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, and other area police agencies in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia. One of the primary focuses of CLEU in recent years, has been to combat the alarming growth in Asian crime, of which Vietnamese criminals have come to be it's chief protagonist.

CLEU for the purposes of this learning material, provided some insights into their dealings with Vietnamese criminals in the greater Vancouver area.

CLEU recognizes that Vietnamese criminals can to some extent, be separated into those of South Vietnamese and North Vietnamese origins. Of these, the North Vietnamese, or persons from the present Republic of Vietnam, represent the greater majority of the criminal element in Canada. One CLEU officer described these criminals as; "the most tenacious, extraordinarily focused criminals ever introduced into Canada".

Vietnamese criminals are involved in a wide range of criminal activity. Murders, robberies, home invasions, extortion, property houses, counterfeit money and credit cards, drug trafficking, prostitution, and marijuana cultivation to highlight their major activities.

Many Vietnamese criminals were cultivated during their internment in refugee camps, where along with the legitimate law abiding population, gang members and criminals of all sorts and kinds thrived in the oppressive atmosphere. Other criminals have also entered Canada through regular immigration channels, through both legitimate and illegitimate means.

Vietnamese gangs soon proved themselves so ruthless and effective that they intimidated other more established Asian gangs, either pushing them aside, or forming mutually beneficial alliances. It is claimed that even the notorious Hells Angels motor cycle gang has been forced to develop a working relationship with Vietnamese gangs in their previously unchallenged control over the drug trade. It is, in fact, now believed that Vietnamese criminals, by and large, now control the drug trade in the Lower Mainland of B.C.

Vietnamese criminals range widely, and there are many examples of Vietnamese criminals from Vancouver committing crimes throughout California, Western Canada, and even out as far as the United States eastern sea board, or Toronto and Montreal, before returning home. This mobility, coupled with a total contempt for what they perceive as a weak and ineffectual criminal justice system, and a benign sense of concern for their own safety, as well as a preparedness to use vicious and brutal methods to achieve their aims, makes them a dangerous adversary.

Other countries most notably, the United States and Australia also have well established, equally effective and deadly, Vietnamese criminal networks and street gangs. The traffic in heroin is widely connected with Vietnamese criminals today throughout the world. The experiences of police with Vietnamese criminals wherever they exist, appear to have many factors in common.

Checking Vietnamese Criminals

CLEU provided a number of tips on checking known, or suspected, Vietnamese criminals:

CLEU emphasized that caution must in all cases by exercised when checking vehicles or persons on the street. Many Vietnamese males, because of their comparatively short stature and slight builds, often appear to be younger than they are, which may lead police to believe on first appearance, they are dealing with teenagers, rather than adult, and in some cases, seasoned criminals. Gang members tend to demonstrate more bravado when in a group, and as a general rule, will be more deceptive and manipulative under these circumstances, then by themselves.

Knives are the weapons of choice, but clubs, machetes, and some handguns have been located in searches. (These facts may be indicative more to the Vancouver scene then among all Vietnamese criminal networks in North America.)

CLEU states that it is extremely important that the officer acquire the suspect's Vietnamese name that he/she was born with as well as their adopted Canadian name. When possible get the suspect to write their name down for you.

Checking occupied vehicles should never be conducted alone. A proper search can only be accomplished with other members present. Beside safety considerations, Vietnamese criminals are known to be extremely adept at hiding and discarding evidence. Often girlfriends are used as "mules", as in other gangs, to transport and conceal weapons and narcotics.

Vietnamese criminal's vehicles should be checked thoroughly both inside and out. Often the evidence, be it narcotics or other items, will be found underneath the car. Often the evidence will be dropped through cleverly constructed holes in the floor or the side of the transmission housing. The evidence will be dropped through just as the member is approaching the vehicle.

Additionally, check underneath the dash, seats, etc, for magnetic cases containing drugs. Weapons are often found taped to these same locations. Check trunks, engine compartments, lining of the ceiling, spare tires, lining of the doors, underneath the car, and on top of the muffler. When checking under the dash, you should look as well as reach, sometimes what you feel is not what you think it is.

Vietnamese criminals tend to be creatures of habit. In the greater Vancouver area for example, it has been noted that they tend to buy their automobile insurance from the same agencies. This results in them acquiring virtually the same numbered and lettered license plates, with the digits only one or two different between vehicles. When arrested, or checked too often, they will change their plates, but often return to the same agencies, beginning the cycle over again.

Vietnamese criminals use cellular phones to conduct a great deal of their illegal business. A vehicle check of a suspected criminal, will often see him attempting to lock down the cell phone. Questioning him concerning the number or the owner of the phone will frequently result in evasive replies, indicative of criminal involvement. (Most people after all, know the number of their own phone, or at least who it belongs to if it isn't theirs!) Criminals often do their business in other persons vehicles, an insurance check is likewise important.

Because of the miserable lifestyle suffered by the lower echelons of the Vietnamese criminal community, they can be turned as sources. The drug courier, thief, extortionist, is frequently exploited by his bosses, who profit often greatly at his expense. These criminals can often grow disillusioned and police should keep an eye open to opportunity, as a Vietnamese criminal can prove to be a valuable source of information.

CLEU offered this last advice when communicating with the regular, law abiding, Vietnamese community.

Be polite at all times

Be sincere in your message

Ask them, and take the time to learn about their culture, and superstitions.

Don't turn down the opportunity to socialize, if offered tea, take the time to sit down and chat . Acknowledge elders, Vietnamese people are very respectful of their elders.

Most of all, don't be a phoney. Vietnamese people are a people of first impressions (most of us are). A poor first impression will be long lasting, probably unchangeable.

Conclusion

Vietnamese Canadians have made a great deal of progress in Canada over the past few decades. The transition has often been a difficult one, and their communities continue to be plagued by criminal exploitation. Increasing trust in Canadian police has however, meant that they are no longer suffering quietly alone, and constructive partnerships have been formed which are helping to isolate and identify the criminal element.

Vietnamese Canadians have much to offer. A rich and vibrant culture, the broader Canadian public is just now coming to recognize and enjoy, and an energetic, hard working people who are contributing in many ways to the growth and prosperity of Canada.

This completes "The Vietnamese", I hope you found this learning material interesting and informative.