- Nam Cam
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Nam Cam
Năm Cam (Vietnamese: Trương Văn Cam; 1948 – 2004 June 3) was a notorious Vietnamese gangster. He was born in Saigon, Vietnam.
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Early life
When Nam Cam was 15 years old, he was arrested for stabbing a man to death in a fight. He subsequently spent two years in jail. Upon his release, he joined the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) in 1966, to fight against communist North Vietnam. Nam Cam was a devout anti-communist, and he remained in Vietnam during the Fall of Saigon, to help defend South Vietnam from the invading North Vietnamese army and their Viet Cong agents.
He eventually was captured by the North Vietnamese Army (NVA) and was forced to undergo re-education by the North Vietnam Government.
Life as a criminal
He involved himself in criminal activity, amassing substantial wealth for himself. In 1994, he was arrested and convicted for his criminal dealings, but was released early in May 1995 after an intervention by Tran Mai Hanh, director of Radio the Voice of Vietnam. [1] Charges laid against him included murder, assault, gambling, organising gambling, organising bribery, abetting criminals, and organising illegal emigration.
Assassination of Dung Ha
The conviction that would lead, perhaps indirectly, to his execution was due to his role in the assassination of underworld rival Dung Ha. Dung Ha, a reputed female gangster from Haiphong in northern Vietnam, moved south to Ho Chi Minh City, to join forces with Nam Cam, who hoped to get her to serve as his emissary in expanding his casinos in the north. However, 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 Ho Chi Minh City. Humiliated and enraged, Nam Cam ordered a hit on Dung Ha, which was carried out on October 2, 2000. Two men, traveling on motorbike, came up and parked near where she was sitting. One of them got off the bike, walked up to her, pulled out a 9mm revolver and shot her in the head at point-blank range. The assassins escaped.
Nam Cam photo upon his release from a Communist re-education camp.On June 4, 2003, Nam Cam was convicted for ordering the assassination of Dung Ha, and bribing state officials to protect his criminal network.
Fallout from his conviction
Subsequently, 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. Pham Sy Chien, a former deputy national chief prosecutor, was found guilty of receiving a stereo worth $1,800 for arranging Nam Cam's early release in the 1990s 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 at the district 9 rifle range Ho Chi Minh city by firing squad, along with his four gang members Pham Van Minh, Nguyen Huu Thinh, Chau Phat Lai Em and Nguyen Viet Hung, the last being the one who shot Dung Ha.
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Categories:- 1948 births
- 2004 deaths
- 21st-century executions by Vietnam
- Executed Vietnamese people
- Mob bosses
- People executed by firing squad
- People executed for murder
- People from Ho Chi Minh City
- People of the Vietnam War
- Vietnamese mobsters
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