Vietnam cuts crimes punishable by death by a third HANOI - Vietnam's amended Penal Code cuts by a third the number of crimes that carry the death penalty and makes graft involving some $35 a criminal offence, an official said on Thursday. Pham Van Hung, a senior official from Vietnam's National Assembly, told a news conference that the Penal Code amendments listed 29 crimes punishable by death, versus 44 previously. The assembly, communist-ruled Vietnam's legislative body, passed the amendments last month but until Thursday no officials had given details on the changes, which take effect on July 1. Hung said crimes no longer punishable by execution included illegally trading currencies, deserting the battlefield and destroying state property. Capital punishment covered a broad range of crimes, from trying to topple the government, to espionage and engaging in acts that cause social unrest. Hung gave no clear details, but it appeared large-scale graft and smuggling were still covered by the death penalty. He said the amendments had cut to 500,000 dong ($35.60) from five million dong ($356) the amount of money that made corruption a criminal offence. "This reflects the state's stringent policies on graft," Hung said. The death penalty is normally carried out by a five-man firing squad in Vietnam. The commanding officer completes the process with a single pistol shot to the head. Courts have handed down a number of death sentences in recent years for drug trafficking, graft and smuggling, which have become rampant despite the tough criminal code. Vietnam executed some 100 people in 1995, the last year for which complete statistics were available. Reuters - January 21, 2000.