Vietnamese State President Tran Duc Luong, on Monday, approved a list of 8,623 convicts, who are serving their imprisonment sentences or whose sentences are pending or postponed, eligible for being released ahead of their terms on the occasion of the National Day, which falls on September 2.

"Regarding criminals, Vietnam combines severe punishments withthe policy of leniency and reeducation. With the humane tradition and law of Vietnam, there is no discrimination or limitation in terms of amnesty to Vietnamese prisoners or foreign ones," NguyenVan Chien, Chairman of the President Office, addressed a press conference on publicizing the president's amnesty decision.

Prisoners eligible for the amnesty include those who well obey regulations of prisons and temporary detention camps, and have good conduct while serving their imprisonment sentences, although they committed various kinds of economic and criminal crimes. Among them, 51 are foreigners.

"This time, Vietnam gives amnesty to 51 foreigners, including 1 Japanese, 3 Australian, 6 Cambodian, 13 Lao and 28 Chinese," LeThe Tiem, Deputy Minister of Public Security, said at the conference.

Among local and foreign inmates enjoying the amnesty, 3 were convicted of trespassing on the national security, 2 of espionage and 1 of undermining the national great unity policy, he added.

Vietnam will also grant amnesty three times next year marking the occasions of the founding anniversary of the Communist Party of Vietnam and the Lunar New Year Festival in February, the National Unification Day on April 30 and May Day, and the NationalDay.

The country released 40,488 prisoners ahead of their terms between 1998 and 2003, of whom, 95 percent have not relapsed into crime.

Source: Xinhua