Pubdate: Thu, 16 Dec 1999
Source: Courier-Mail, The (Australia)
Copyright: News Limited 1999
Contact:  GPO Box 130, Brisbane, Queensland 4001
Fax: (07) 3666 6696
Website: http://www.thecouriermail.com.au/
Author: Mark Oberhardt and Lachlan Heywood

JUDGE ATTACKS SILENCE ON DRUGS

THE Vietnamese community should break the circle of "fear and
violence" protecting the generals of heroin trafficking in Brisbane's
western suburbs, a judge said yesterday.

Brisbane Supreme Court Justice Bob Douglas said the number of
Vietnamese before the courts on drug charges was totally
disproportionate to their percentage of the overall population.

But the Vietnamese community reacted angrily to the comments, accusing
Justice Douglas of making generalisations and stereotyping.

In sentencing Nhat Duc Nguyen, 19, for supplying of heroin at an Inala
shopping centre last year, Justice Douglas noted Nguyen refused to
tell police his source.

"It is common for young Vietnamese people from Inala and surrounding
western suburbs to be before the courts on supply or trafficking of
heroin charges," he said.

"It is also obvious they are being used as pawns by generals who are
making large amounts of money out of drug dealing."

Justice Douglas said invariably those charged refused to identify the
source.

"One has to ask why and the answer appears to be a conspiracy of fear
and violence within the Vietnamese community," he said.

Justice Douglas said authorities faced an enormous task controlling
the spread of drugs because of a "cone of silence" which protected the
main players.

Vietnamese Community in Australia Queensland president Viet Tran said
it was impossible to generalise from "one or two young offenders".

"He must have reasons for what he said, but it is not true to say that
the whole community is protecting the criminals," Mr Tran said.

"Within the Vietnamese community and any other community you have some
bad elements that commit crime, but it is wrong to stereotype the
whole community.

"We have a large number of successful young people who have
contributed to making this country a better and stronger nation and,
to my knowledge, that proportion of young people is much larger than
one or two solitary offenders."

Nguyen pleaded guilty to four charges of supplying and one charge of
possessing heroin late last year.

Justice Douglas sentenced Nguyen to three years' jail with a
recommendation he be eligible for parole after a year.
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