John Percy, Sydney

Fairfield City Council has been put on the spot by the right-wing Vietnamese Community of Australia, which is organising a flag-raising ceremony for the flag of the defunct South Vietnamese regime in Cabra-Vale Park on November 28. The local Vietnamese language paper, Saigon Times, has portrayed the council’s support as official Australian recognition of the flag of the old regime, which ceased to exist in 1975.

The November 4 Saigon Times featured a mocked-up picture of two Australian flags flying side-by-side with two flags of the old regime on flagpoles jointly paid for by Fairfield City Council and the Vietnamese group. However, under pressure, the council renegotiated an agreement for the four flagpoles to fly an Australian flag, a NSW flag, a United Nations flag, and the flag of Fairfield City. At a ceremony on November 19, Fairfield City Mayor Nick Lalich handed over the Fairfield City flag to the president of the Vietnamese group.

However, the council has not ensured that the old regime flag isn’t flown as well and the right-wing Vietnamese group now has the Fairfield City flag as evidence of official support.

From Green Left Weekly, November 24, 2004.
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