SYDNEY, 29 AGO - Una cittadina australiana di 43 anni e' stata condannata a morte ieri in Vietnam per possesso di quasi 900 grammi di eroina. Le My Linh, che e' di origine vietnamita, e' stata arrestata lo scorso novembre all'aeroporto di Ho Chi Minh City mentre stava per imbarcarsi su un volo per Sydney e accusata di possesso dell'eroina, contenuta in 17 scatolette nascoste sul suo corpo, e di 209 grammi di diazepam.

   Il ministro degli esteri australiano Alexander Downer ha espresso preoccupazione per la sentenza, aggiungendo di aver messo in chiaro con il governo vietnamita la posizione contraria alla pena capitale dell'Australia, gia' prima del processo.

   Downer ha detto di aver scritto al suo collega vietnamita Nguyen Dy Nien per ribadire la posizione australiana e chiedere che in caso di conferma della sentenza in appello, questa sia commutata in pena detentiva.

   Un funzionario del tribunale di Ho Chi Minh City, citato dall'agenzia di stampa australiana Aap, ha detto che la condannata e' una tossicodipendente che ha ammesso, dopo l'arresto, di aver ricevuto un pagamento di 30 mila dollari Usa da un altro australiano di origine vietnamita per far da corriere dell'eroina verso l'Australia. Un appello contro la condanna potrebbe essere presentato entro la fine dell'anno, ha aggiunto. 

Melbourne Herald Sun

29-AGO-02

VIETNAM---female foreign national sentenced to death

Australian woman sentenced to death

An Australian woman was today sentenced to death in Vietnam following her trial on drug charges, Australian Foreign Minister Mr Alexander Downer said.

The Australian Federal Government was deeply concerned and had made its position against the death penalty clear to the Vietnamese government before the trial of Le My Linh, Mr Downer said.

 "Australia is universally and consistently opposed to capital punishment and supports its abolition," he said in a statement.

 "On my instructions, Australia's Ambassador to Vietnam made representations to the Vietnamese authorities to make our position clear in the lead-up to the trial. Senior officials of my department also made representations to the visiting Vietnamese First Vice Foreign Minister, Mr Bin, in May this year." Mr Downer said.

 Mr Downer had written today to Vietnam's Foreign Minister Nguyen Dy Nien to reiterate Australia's opposition to the death penalty.

 Le was arrested on November 17 in Vietnam and charged with possession of 888 grams of heroin and 209 grams of diazepam. 43-year-old Le is expected to appeal the conviction and sentence and that appeal could be heard within 3 months.

 "If the death penalty is imposed and confirmed on appeal we will seek to have the sentence commuted to a custodial sentence," Mr Downer said.

 The Australian Government had been following the case closely and 2 officials from the Australian Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City, in Vietnam, had attended the trial, he said.

 Australian Consular officials had also been in touch with Le's family, and it was expected that consular officials in Vietnam would visit her as soon as possible.