Czech actor Ivan Luťanský († 30) accomplished a lot in his short life. He worked in the National Theatre, made dozens of films and series, was devoted to martial arts and was also interested in Eastern religions. That is why he wanted to travel to China, but the regime at the time did not allow him to do so. However, he had an opportunity to visit Vietnam in 1983. The trip to the Asian country ended up being fatal for him, writes a diary.
His death was officially ruled a car accident. But his older brother Štěpán never believed this versionwho started searching on his own. In the jeep in which the actor was traveling, the steering was supposed to go wrong, the vehicle hit a tree and then it was supposed to overturn it.
“It is strange that it happened on Monday, August 1, and he was already in a jute bag in Prague on Wednesday. They didn’t even want money for transportation. And when we wanted to see his body, they forbade us. It is said to be the property of the state, and a passport and an ambassador were enough to identify the body. At the Olšan cemetery, a few days before the funeral, we bribed a worker who opened the coffin window for us. Only the head was visible. Ivan was painted, it is said to be a Vietnamese funeral custom. He had a flower tucked in his sleep. He had a hole in his head,” his brother stated years ago.
The survivors did not like it and requested an autopsy. “The doctor said it was a traffic accident, the skull base was damaged. But she didn’t look at the internal organs! When I asked why, she replied: ‘The autopsy report came from Vietnam and I just confirmed it.’ And she added that she won’t show me the report,” Štěpán, who did not give up, described the problems.
What he found out later blew him away. “A friend of his from his youth called me. He was talking to a Czech who was in Vietnam. He told him that while they were on a tour of the local agricultural cooperative, bandits came and wanted to steal everyone’s paychecks that were being given that day. There were only two thieves. And he was a karateka, so he stood up to them. But he got a burst from the ambush with a machine gun and it was over.” concluded.
He finally got an explanation as to why it was being covered up. Vietnam was a friendly country, and their citizens at that time came to Czechoslovakia, where anti-Vietnamese sentiments prevailed, and this case would make it even harder for them.
