25 September 2003 :

Vietnamese public security vice minister Le The Tiem was reported as saying that the death penalty was an effective method of preventing drugs production and trafficking and that the country would continue to use the punishment for those crimes. "This is a very effective measure," Tiem said. "In the near future, it will be our policy to maintain strong measures against these extremely serious crimes," the vice minister said. "Once the drug related crimes are eradicated, we might consider to change our policy with lesser penalties." Tiem's comment came after the signing of the Hanoi Resolution in which six countries in the Mekong sub-region agreed to together fight drugs-related crimes. More than 100 delegates from Cambodia, China, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam met in Hanoi to discuss measures to monitor drug use and crimes in the region.