Two Australians going through the dying penalty in Vietnam have been granted clemency after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese visited the nation on the weekend.
“I made representations to the Prime Minister yesterday morning and by yesterday afternoon the president had signed the clemency orders,” Mr Albanese instructed 7.30 on Monday after returning to Australia.
“Australia has a strong position of opposition to the death penalty and we make representations on behalf of Australian citizens.
“We are very pleased that Vietnam has agreed to the request and we thank them for it.”
Mr Albanese didn’t identify the 2 Australians who’ve been granted clemency, and stated their households had been given the nice news.
“The families have been informed and very relieved that Australia,” he stated.
“They have asked their privacy be respected which is why I am not mentioning their names them tonight.”
The Prime Minister stated the breakthrough was partly resulting from improved relationships between Australia and Vietnam.
Several Australians are on dying row in quite a few international locations. Six have been executed, the latest being Bali 9 ringleaders Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran in Indonesia in 2015.
Mr Albanese spent the weekend in Vietnam to mark 50 years of diplomatic relations between the 2 international locations.
“We are strategic partners and we’ve been enduring friends over that 50 years,” he stated.
Mr Albanese additionally met individually with Vietnam’s National Assembly President, President of the Socialist Republic, and General-Secretary of the nation’s Communist Party as a part of a concerted effort to strengthen commerce and financial ties.
Mr Albanese stated Australia wished to work along with its neighbours, particularly when coping with the challenges of local weather change.
“I am pleased to announce that Australia will be stepping up our support for Vietnam’s energy transformation, with an important package of new overseas development assistance of $105m for supporting sustainable infrastructure planning, for stimulating private investment in clean energy infrastructure, and delivering technical assistance to develop Vietnam’s critical mineral sector,” Mr Albanese stated.
Source: www.perthnow.com.au
