Displaying poster of Reverend Nguyen Van Ly's Muted Mouth.
Saturday, September 15, 2007
Nguyen Huy/Nguoi Viet

On Saturday afternoon Sept 15, 2007, on a wall facing Freeway 22, Garden Grove, right by Little Saigon,  The Committee of Anti-Communist Task Force (CACTF), American-Vietnamese Representatives and more than 100 Southern Californian-Vietnamese  gathered to view the display of a poster of the Reverend Nguyen Van Ly whose mouth was physically muted at a trial on March 30, 2007 in Vietnam.

Part of more than half of the large poster, 16'X8' , displays the picture of Father Ly's mouth physically muted by a court's bailiff's hand during the trial, with the heading "Vietnam Today, We have to Speak up !". Under the picture are the words
"Reverend Ly at The People's Court in Vietnam on March 30, 2007".  Also at the top right corner is "The Committee of Anti-Communist Task Force".
The American-Vietnamese community have erected the image of  Father Ly's Muted Mouth on billboards along freeways and at locations where  heavy traffic encountered, in the cities across the country such as San Jose, Oakland, Seattle, Houston, and in Brisbane (Australia).  The sixth billboard was just erected in Little Saigon, Orange County, California..

The campaign to erect the billboard’s image of Father Ly's Muted Mouth has been carried out at many cities across the US.  According to Mr. Phan Ky Nhon, (CACTF): "Today a poster was erected at the private property of a former ARVN  Nguyen Ngoc Chieu, which is a temporary response to the occasion of the visit  in US by Nguyen Tan Dung, the Vietnamese communist prime minister. We must speak up for the Vietnamese at our native land, and to raise the awareness about Vietnamese communist's cruelty with the American communities and all over the world about human rights, democracy and freedom in Vietnam.  CACTF is in the process to get a permit from Garden Grove city to erect a large billboard similar to traffic sign on freeway."

Along with CACTF, The Committee of A Call For Democracy (ACFD) is also in process of erecting the billboards in other locations.  Mr. Nguyen Thanh Trang, (ACFD and Vietnam Human Rights Network) said: "On Oct 8, 2007, we will erect the billboard of Father Ly's Muted Mouth at the intersection of Brookhurst and Hazard, Westminster, and in the center of Los Angeles, Olympic St., on Oct 6, 2007."

Presented at the ceremony and also the guest speakers are American-Vietnamese state and municipal elected officials such as Tran Thai Van, Janet Nguyen, Dina Nguyen, Ta Duc Tri, Nguyen Quang Trung, and Sergio Contreras.  Everyones praised this campaign that fighting for human rights, democracy and freedom.  State delegate Van expressed his appreciation to Mr. Chieu, a former ARVN who immigrated to the US via Humaine Operation program (H.O), saying that his contribution was meaningful." Emphasizing his point, the state delegate said, "Those who comment that H.O refugees are useless, please come here to see for themselves."  Councilman Dina, of Garden Grove city, said: "Look at the picture of Father Ly's Muted Mouth, the picture itself explains the reason why the Vietnamese community always demonstrate against Communism.