The campaign was launched by Venezuela’s Armed Forces of National Liberation (FALN) Command on October 9, 1964, during which Venezuelan guerillas abducted U.S. Lieutenant Colonel Michael Smolen in Caracas to ask for the release of young Vietnamese patriot Nguyen Van Troi, who had been sentenced to death by the U.S. and the U.S.-backed Saigon regime for his assassination attempt on U.S. Secretary of Defence Robert McNamara.
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Participants at the get-together |
However, after the Caracas guerillas released the U.S. hostage on October 12, the U.S. and the Saigon administration killed Nguyen Van Troi in order to suppress the emerging anti-U.S. movement in Vietnam and around the globe.
Carlos Rey, an 81-year-old veteran, travelled nearly 400km to the ceremony to meet his comrades at the get-together.
Recalling the day when he joined the campaign at the age of just 22, the man said he and other Venezuelans at that time admired the Vietnamese people’s resistance war.
Raúl Rodríguez, who also participated in the campaign, said he was delighted at the great socio-economic achievements Vietnam has recorded, and noted his wish that the good traditional friendship between the two countries will be further consolidated and enhanced in the time ahead.
In his remarks, Vietnamese Ambassador to Venezuela Vu Trung My thanked the former Venezuelan guerillas for their good sentiments to Vietnam, and attributed the successes of the Vietnamese people's struggle for national independence, liberation and reunification to valuable contribution by international friends and comrades, including people and left-wing and progressive forces of Venezuela and other Latin American countries.
On this occasion, the former Venezuelan guerillas presented the ambassador a book featuring Caracas guerillas by Nancy Zambrano, which devotes much of its space to the Nguyen Van Troi campaign.
The former Venezuelan guerillas said they hoped that the book will be translated into Vietnamese on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the campaign (October 9, 1964-2024) and the 35th founding anniversary of Vietnam - Venezuela diplomatic ties (December 1989-2024).
Source: VNA