On January 25, Prime Minister Phan Van Khai said he...

On January 25, Prime Minister Phan Van Khai said he wanted fewer death penalties handed down, and dislikes the use of firing squads. Khai added that he had asked police to find an alternative to death by firing squad, the standard method of execution in Vietnam. He did not say why he disliked use of firing squads nor make clear why he thought too many death penalties were handed down, but explained that top officials had recently raised concerns about the rising number of such sentences.