1. Petya Globenko and Styopa Ghukov were each sentenced to eighteen years in jail for smuggling and are currently serving their time at Thanh Hoa prison in Vietnam.
2. The owner of the Mekong Palace restaurant went out of business. He feared for his life but did have the courage to attend the trial for Xuân. Although he was the only witness to do so, of the many who had been summoned, Xuân changed his plea to guilty when the owner appeared and was subsequently sentenced to eighteen months of secure custody to be followed by nine months of probation.
After his release from jail, Xuân was the prime suspect in the stabbing death of three people in a Vancouver nightclub. The three victims had no known gang association and were simply believed to have been in the wrong place at the wrong time. Police had just obtained enough evidence and were on the verge of charging him for the murders when Xuân wounded and attempted to murder the leader of a rival gang with an automatic handgun. In an exchange of gunfire, Xuân was wounded and died a short time later.
3. The “Cuban Five” comprised of Gerardo Hernández, Ramón Labañino, Antonio Guerrero, Fernando González, and René González successfully gathered information on a terrorist attack involving a boatload of explosives bound for Cuba. The Cuban authorities notified the FBI, who seized the explosives, but arrested the five undercover Cuban Intelligence officers.
Despite the U.S. demands for the world to unite in the face of terrorism, the “Cuban Five” have remained in prison in the U.S. since their arrests in 1998.
4. “Tarah,” the Canadian volunteer at Blue Dragon Children’s Foundation in Vietnam, was instrumental in setting up a network to provide homes for over fifty children and feed dozens every day. Many more children are in need of help. Anyone wanting to learn more about this organization, or wishing to make a contribution to the Blue Dragon, may do so by going online at www.streetkidsinvietnam.com.
5. Justice was denied when Douglas Henry Easton died alone in a hospital in Red Deer, Alberta, without ever facing prosecution for his crimes.
Author’s note:
For those who are the victims of sexual abuse—know you are not alone. There are no geographical, social, or economic boundaries when it comes to the perpetrators and the children they prey upon. If you are a victim, please find the courage to come forward. As part of the healing process, change your perception of yourself from “victim” to that of “advocate” and “survivor.” You have the strength within to do it. It is time to identify the monsters and put them away. Our children need protection. Please find the courage to do what is right.