Vietnamese Court Issues Death Sentence For Heroin Trafficking Australian

Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam (AHN) - An Australian woman was given the death sentence by a Vietnamese appeal court for smuggling 1.5 kilograms of heroin to the country. Jasmine Luong, a resident of Sydney, was originally meted a life sentence by a lower court, but the prosecution sought a higher penalty of death by firing squad.

Luong has 15 days to appeal her sentence to Vietnamese President Nguyen Minh Triet. The federal government of Australia said it would seek clemency for Luong.

Luong holds an Australian passport, although she is of Vietnamese origin. She recalled she was handed by an unidentified man $4,700 to bring heroin to Vietnam. The man promised her an additional amount of $10,300.

The Australian government is apparently banking on its strong bilateral relations with Vietnam to spare Luong's life. Other Australians previously convicted by Vietnamese courts were not put to death despite their convictions of drug sentences on humanitarian grounds.