Editing Phuong Ngo (section)

==Political conflict==
Newman had been elected to the Fairfield council in 1977 and was known for his campaigns against Asian criminal gangs that were then a problem.<ref name="4corners"/> Newman suspected Ngo took part in criminal dealings due to his involvement with the Mekong Club, which many believed to be [[Money laundering|laundering money]] for the Cabramatta gangs.<ref name="Brown">[[Malcolm Brown (Australian journalist)|Malcolm Brown]] ''Cold Blooded Murder'' [[Lagardère Publishing|Hachette Australia]] 2008 {{ISBN|9780733622779}} Pg 3 – 36</ref>

In 1990, the local ''Fairfield Champion'' newspaper published an article regarding a proposal to add an inscription commemorating the [[Chinese Communist Revolution]] to the [[Paifang|Pai Lau gate]] (Freedom Gate) in Cabramatta's Freedom Square. Ngo, then deputy mayor of Fairfield and an ardent [[anti-communist]], blamed Newman for the proposal and sued the newspaper. The case was settled out of court. In 1991, Ngo stood as an independent for the seat of Cabramatta and Newman, who was the sitting member, issued a press release questioning Ngo's refugee status. Ngo received only 11.7% of the vote, a result he blamed on his being Asian.<ref name="Brown"/>

Following the election, Ngo joined Labor with the help of the [[Labor Right]], led by Grace and his new Canley Vale branch, now directly competing with the Newman's ([[Socialist Left (Australia)|Labor Left]]) Canley Heights branch. Ngo and Newman vied for new members, which led to considerable infighting over [[branch stacking]]. The ALP general secretary, [[John Della Bosca]], arranged a meeting to resolve the dispute, during which Ngo agreed not to challenge Newman for pre-selection in exchange for Newman not challenging the credentials of members who joined Ngo's branch. At this time Newman was being targeted: his car had been paint bombed three times and he was receiving death threats. Publicly he blamed a gang, but privately he confided in acquaintances that he believed it was Ngo "and that gang of [[Hooliganism|hooligans]]" at the Mekong Club.<ref name="Brown"/>
 
In 1994, Fairfield wanted a [[sister city]]. Ngo advocated a city from Taiwan, which was endorsed by councillors Lalich and Anwar Khoshaba; Newman, in line with official party policy, pushed for a city in China. A Taiwan relationship was against Australian Federal government policy, as Taiwan was not diplomatically recognised as a nation. According to former Cabramatta detective Tim Priest, Ngo had received a $117,000 cheque from Jin-Gou Chang of the Taipei Cultural Office in 1994. Newman learned of the transaction and accused Ngo, Lalich and Khoshaba of accepting funding from the Taiwanese government and stated that they should not be re-elected to the council, a position for which he received considerable support. The [[Hsinchu]] City sister city relationship was accepted despite only 100 Cabramatta citizens having Taiwanese ancestry. On 1 June, the Labor State Electoral Council condemned Ngo and Lalich, stating that if they continued to breach Labor policy regarding China, they would both be expelled.<ref name="Priest">Tim Priest ''On Deadly Ground: The Assassination of John Newman MP'' [[New Holland Publishers]] 2010 {{ISBN|9781742570433}}</ref> Ngo was furious and began openly approaching people who were not criminals for advice on acquiring guns and hiring a [[hitman]].<ref name="Brown"/>