Thursday, January 25, 2001 | Print this story Free Speech Limits Tested in Little Saigon A judge will decide whether videotaping of clients at 'communist' doctor's office is harassment or political protest. By MAI TRAN, Times Staff Writer For the last two months, an anti-Communist demonstrator has been videotaping patients as they enter the offices of a prominent Little Saigon doctor whom he considers a communist for supporting normalized trade with Vietnam. The protest has sparked a legal battle over where to draw the line between free speech and privacy rights at a time when anti-Communist protesters are increasingly turning to these tactics. An Orange County judge last week temporarily barred the demonstrator, Duc Tran, from standing within 100 yards of the medical clinic. He is expected to rule Feb. 3 whether Tran's protest, which also includes shouting insults at patients and holding signs, amounts to harassment. "He'd follow them around with his video camera, screaming and cursing," said Edward Susolik, an attorney for doctor Co Pham. "He was highly intimidating." This is not the first time protesters have used cameras as part of their campaigns. Westminster City Councilman Tony Lam's restaurant was the target of anti-Communist protesters with video equipment two years ago over what they considered his lack of support for the their cause. <snip> http://www.latimes.com/editions/orange/20010125/t000007231.html