Australia held inaugural talks with Vietnam on human...

Australia held inaugural talks with Vietnam on human rights and raised concerns about the treatment of dissidents and Australians facing possible death sentences in Vietnam.
The head of the Australian delegation, Geoff Raby, a senior foreign affairs official, told Reuters he had raised the case of three Australians of Vietnamese origin who could face death sentences if convicted on drugs charges. Australians in jail in Vietnam include Nguyen Thi Kim Hieu and Le My Linh, who were arrested in January and November 2001 and accused of trying to smuggle heroin out of the country.
Trafficking in 600 grams (1.3 lb) or more of heroin is punishable by death or life imprisonment in Vietnam, where 55 people were executed for drugs offences in 2001. Execution is carried out by firing squad.