Vietnam releases mom of a canadian

~ Le Vięt Nam, aujourd'hui. ~
The Vietnam News

Vietnam releases mom of a canadian

HANOI - Vietnam on Friday freed the elderly mother of a Vietnamese-Canadian woman it executed for heroin smuggling earlier this year. Her release was part of an amnesty to mark a national holiday. Tran Thi Cam, whose daughter Nguyen Thi Hiep, 43, was shot by a firing squad in April, emerged from Thanh Xuan prison, 16 miles outside of Hanoi, into the arms of her weeping family. The release may help ease strained ties between Vietnam and Canada.

The mother and daughter were arrested in 1996 and charged with carrying 12 pounds of heroin hidden in artwork through the Hanoi airport. Canadian officials objected to the arrests, saying they believe the two women were duped by a drug-smuggling gang. Cam, 74, was sentenced to life imprisonment. Her release was part of a presidential mass amnesty that saw more than 10,000 prisoners pardoned. Cam remained calm during the hour-long amnesty ceremony, but she burst into tears after being met by family members, including a son, a daughter, son-in-law and grandchildren, outside the prison gates. The reunion was bittersweet for her family because they have not told Cam of her daughter's execution fearing the news could affect her health. Cam will fly back to Canada around Sept. 15.

``I have such mixed feelings today. We're very happy that my mother-in-law is being released, but I regret that we could not save my wife,'' said Tran Hieu, 56, Cam's son-in-law and the husband of Hiep. ``We're very worried about how we can tell her about Hiep's death.'' Hieu left his job as a restaurateur in Toronto four years ago to come to Hanoi to be near his imprisoned wife. The small home his family currently shares in Hanoi is dwarfed by a huge shrine with Hiep's photo. Hiep's execution provoked a diplomatic firestorm because Vietnamese officials had assured Ottawa they were willing to delay the execution on new evidence that the two women had been duped into smuggling the drugs. Canada froze diplomatic relations, cut off support for Vietnam's bid to join the World Trade Organization and suspended annual talks on development assistance. Hoping to ease tensions, Vietnam returned Hiep's body to her family Aug. 19. Canadian officials have indicated that Vietnam's actions may lead to restoration of diplomatic ties.

Also among those released in the amnesty are 61 foreigners, including four U.S. citizens. Lam Phuoc Dong, also known as Lan Dong Phuoc, 33, of San Francisco, Calif., was convicted of heroin trafficking last year and given a seven-year sentence. Long Tai, also known as Henry Long Tai, 67, of Conshocken, Pa., was given life imprisonment after his convictions for smuggling and bribery in 1993. John Joseph Daniels, 57, of Long Beach, Calif., was convicted of smuggling and possessing marijuana in 1995 and sentenced to 20 years in jail. Le Cong Dang, also know as Dan William Le, 41, of Placentia, Calif., was given a 12-year sentence after his 1996 conviction for using counterfeit currency. U.S. Embassy officials said there are eight other U.S. citizens currently in Vietnamese prisons.

Associated Press - September 1, 2000.

Vietnam Frees Elderly Mother of Executed Canadian

HANOI - Vietnam on Friday freed the elderly mother of a Vietnamese-Canadian woman it executed earlier this year for heroin trafficking, part of a mass amnesty for 10,693 convicts, 61 of them foreigners. Tran Thi Cam, 74, an immigrant to Canada, was among 263 people freed from Thanh Xuan, a prison set in rice fields west of Hanoi, under the amnesty to mark the communist state's 55th independence day that falls on Saturday. She had spent more than four years in jail for after being arrested at Hanoi airport in April 1996 and accused of trying to smuggle 5.45 kg (12 lb) of heroin on to a flight to Hong Kong.

Her 44-year-old daughter Nguyen Thi Hiep, convicted with her, was executed by firing squad in April, drawing strong protests from Canada, which downgraded ties. Cam was only spared because of her age. "I feel dizzy," the pale bespectacled woman said as she was embraced and handed flowers by weeping relatives, including her husband, other daughters and son-in-law, at the prison gates. "The family is very happy today," Hiep's husband Tran Trung Hieu told reporters.

The Canadian embassy said Cam would return to her family's home north of Toronto. It said three more Canadians were among the foreigners covered by the amnesty. Others come from United States, China, Australia, France, Pakistan, Thailand, Laos and Cambodia. The amnesty, was the second of its kind this year after the release of 12,264 prisoners, including 29 foreigners, in April.

Unclear if dissidents included
It was unclear if any of the Vietnamese nationals being freed this time included dissidents cited by international rights groups and Western governments. After announcing the amnesty on Wednesday, officials said it did not include two cited by Amnesty International -- Nguyen Dinh Huy, founder of an illegal opposition party jailed for 15 years in 1995, and Le Vanh Tinh, who is serving a 20-year term. They also could not say if two religious leaders of concern to the European Union -- Le Kim Bien and Phan Cong Hien of the Cao Dai Buddhist sect -- were on the list.

Human rights groups say April's amnesty included a handful of dissidents and one Hanoi-based diplomat cited unconfirmed reports that the number could have been as high as 17. Rights groups estimate Vietnam still holds at least dozens of dissidents in jail and greatly restricts movement of dozens it has previously freed. They say it is difficult to determine exact numbers because of Vietnam's climate of secrecy and that it denies holding political or religious prisoners, only common criminals.

Cam's release should help patch up relations with Canada, which strongly hinted this week it would normalize ties if she were freed. Ottawa had expressed outrage at the execution, saying Hanoi reneged on promises to look at evidence it said cast doubt on Hiep's conviction. It suspended ministerial contacts and aid talks in retaliation. On August 19, authorities quietly transferred Hiep's remains to her relatives. They were reburied at a cemetery on the outskirts of Hanoi that day, the Vietnam News Agency reported.

Reuters - September 1, 2000.