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

Year :      [2005]      [2004]      [2003]      [2002]      [2001]      [2000]      [1999]      [1998]      [1997]

Australian sentenced to death in Vietnam

The federal government will appeal to Vietnam's president to spare the life of an Australian man sentenced to death for heroin smuggling. The Ho Chi Minh City Supreme Court on Monday rejected an appeal against the death penalty by Tran Van Thanh, 40, a Vietnamese-born Australian, who had been found guilty of trafficking nearly 700 grams of heroin. His accomplices Tran Van Viet, 30, and Pham Martin, 48, were sentenced to life in prison for their role in the drug smuggling. They are also Vietnamese-born Australians.

A Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) spokesman said Thanh had seven days from the court's ruling in which to appeal for clemency from President Tran Duc Luong. Australia would support Thanh's appeal for clemency if he lodged one with Vietnam's State Council, he said. "The Australian government will register its strong support for clemency for Mr Thanh in the most appropriate manner," the spokesman said. "Australia has a position that we will make applications for clemency when the death penalty is imposed on an Australian citizen.

"We will do that because our policy opposes the death penalty. "In terms of the other sentences (given to Viet and Martin), we respect the decision of the Vietnamese court." Consular officials from the Australian Consulate General office in Ho Chi Minh City were in court when Thanh lost his appeal against his death sentence. The spokesman said DFAT officials had notified Thanh's family, who live in NSW, of the court's decision.

Thanh, Viet and Martin were originally tried in November 2004, accused of trafficking 682.7 grams of heroin in June 2003. The court was told that Thanh struck a deal in early 2003 with an associate to ship the heroin, worth nearly $30,000, from Vietnam to Australia. Thanh and Viet travelled to Vietnam in February and March 2003 respectively and received the heroin from a relative of Thanh's friend in Ho Chi Minh City. They had planned to put the heroin into a plastic pipe before hiding the pipe inside a container due to be shipped to Australia. However, the men became nervous and switched their plan, selling the heroin to Pham Martin who had travelled from Australia to Ho Chi Minh City in June 2003.

All three were arrested after police caught Pham Martin receiving the heroin from a delivery man at a hotel in downtown Ho Chi Minh City. For his part in the operation, the delivery man was sentenced to 16 years in jail.

Australian Associated Press - March 24, 2005