About Ngo Dinh Diem Vietnam's First Authoritarian Regime In History Today, January 3, 1901

JAKARTA - On January 3, 1901, Ngo Dinh Diem was born in Quang Binh Province, Vietnam. Diem was born into a Vietnamese noble family. His ancestors in the 17th century were among the first Vietnamese to convert to Roman Catholicism. Ngo Dinh Diem was the first President of the Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam) and exercised his power in a dictatorial manner.

Citing Britannica, Ngo Dinh Diem declared Vietnam a republic after he became president through elections in 1955. Diem defeated Bao Dai in a government-controlled referendum that overthrew the emperor and made himself president.

Diem refused to implement the 1954 Geneva Accords, which called for free elections to be held throughout Vietnam in 1956 to establish a national government. With the south torn apart by dissident groups and political factions, Diem established an autocratic regime whose top staff were members of his own family.

Aided by the military and economy of the United States (US), Diem was able to resettle hundreds of thousands of refugees from North Vietnam in South Vietnam. However, there are real things that Diem really shows, namely that he is so sided with the Catholics. Be it aid, business license, or military rank, it is easier to get for Vietnamese Catholics. Therefore, many of them choose to convert to Catholicism in order to facilitate urgent matters.

Diem once told a high ranking officer, who is a Buddhist, "Put Catholic officers in sensitive places. They can be trusted." Many officers eventually converted to Catholicism because they believed that their career prospects would be better. In addition, many are denied promotions if they do not convert.

In addition, the distribution of firearms to village self-defense militias intended to repel Viet Cong guerrillas was granted only to Catholics. Some Catholic priests run private armies while forced conversion, looting, shooting and demolition of pagodas took place in some areas. Several Buddhist villages converted en masse to receive aid and avoid forced resettlement by the Diem regime.

Diem's government has also frequently imprisoned and killed people who opposed his regime, which he accused of conspiring with the rebels. He also continued to alienate South Vietnamese residents, especially Buddhists, who increasingly protested against discrimination.

Problems with Buddhists reached their peak in 1963, when Buddhists held large demonstrations. Prior to the protests, government forces killed several people at a large gathering to celebrate Buddha's birthday.

The deadly event triggered another major event, namely the self-immolation of a monk named Thich Quang Duc. Citing a VOI article entitled "Monk Thich Quang Duc's Self-Immolation and Malcolm Browne's Photo Changing Vietnam in Today's History, June 11, 1963," Duc set himself on fire in protest of the injustices his co-religionists received. The flames immediately devoured Duc's body and black smoke billowed from his burning body. For ten minutes he sat in a meditative position until he finally fell.

Most of the people present watched Duc die. "I don't know exactly when he (Duc) died because you don't know from his body or his voice or whatever," said a photographer who helped capture the moment, Malcolm Browne.

"She didn't scream in pain. Her face was so calm that it was so blackened by the fire that you couldn't get out anymore. Eventually the nuns said she was dead and they brought a coffin, a wooden coffin," Browne added.

The Buddhist protests and Thich Quang Duc's self-immolation were not only a struggle against discrimination in religious practice and religious freedom, but also against Diem's development policies. Until the end of his life, Diem and his brothers still believed that their nation-building was successful and could solve the Buddhist crisis on their own.

The non-communists and the military began preparations for the Diem government's coup. The coup was planned mostly by Vietnamese generals.

The US, who has good relations with Diem, said they would not interfere in anything. General Duong Van Minh and his fellow generals quickly overthrew the Diem government.

Meanwhile Diem and his entourage fled through the underground to the Cha Tam Catholic Church in Cholon. But the next day, they were arrested. On November 2, 1963, Diem and his brothers were later killed in an M113 armored personnel carrier with bayonets and revolvers by Captain Nguyen Van Nhung, under orders from General Minh. Diem was buried in an unmarked grave in the cemetery next to the US Ambassador's home.

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