Atlanta, Georgia - 09/02/2007 -  A vigil was held by Vietnamese Community to honor civil rights leaders in Vietnam .  A neon billboard showing the picture of Father Nguyen Van Ly, whose mouth was covered by Vietnamese police during a “closed” court trial.

Vietnamese community in Georgia joined force with My Country’s Voice Radio Station, Mr. Nguyen Mau Hiep, and Ms. Thu Phuong in organizing a vigil to honor civil right movement in Vietnam .  The ceremony began at 7:30 AM, September 2, 2007 at the 101st exit of Interstate 85 with over 100 audiences were observed.  The focal point of the event was the opening ceremony of a neon billboard showing the most-talked-about picture of Father Nguyen Van Ly's Muted Mouth in a closed trial in Vietnam .  Father Ly’s mouth was covered by a secret police during the trial, which prohibited any reporter and his family member.

Along with the general population presented at the site, representatives from The Vietnamese Catholic Community, The Cao Dai, former South Vietnamese cadets from Dalat National Military Academy, former South Vietnamese Police Academy , former South Vietnamese cadets from Thuduc Army Academy, and former Political Prisoner Organization were also observed.

Father Tran Van Kiem, 87, a former advisor to the late president Ngo Dinh Diem, was invited by organizers to be one of the guest speakers.  In his speech, Father Kiem emphasized that all of Father Ly’s activities have been strictly religious, non-violence, and most of all, non-politic.  Father Kiem also stated that Father Ly has done nothing wrong but fulfilled the responsibility of a catholic devotee, which is helping the ones who need help.  He said Father Ly has done nothing wrong by lending a helping hand to the people, who he believed has been treated unfairly and brutally.  Father Kiem received a standing ovation at the end of the speech.

In the intermission, Mr. Truong Giang performed his newly-composed song, specially dedicated to Father Ly’s heroic actions.  Mr. Truong Giang’s song also re-stated a famous phrase from the former president Nguyen Van Thieu: “ Do not listen to what communists say, but look closely at what they do”.  Follow Mr. Truong Giang was Ms. Mai, who also performed another song about Father Ly’s unfair trial.  The song’s title was “Why did you cover my mouth?” and was greatly cheered by the audiences.  It should be noted in the past, this kind of event normally gathers specific groups and faces. Surprisingly, this ceremony has pulled together a large number of new “faces”, which brought hopes to the future of democracy in Vietnam .

The ceremony was concluded after nearly two meaningful hours.  Instead of going home right after the conclusion, the audiences spent additional time to discuss about how to efficiently support Mr. Le Phuoc Tuan, another civil rights advocates.  Mr. Tuan was wrongfully charged with several unsubstantiated allegations and was scheduled to stand trial on September 5, 2007.