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<title>CANADA ANNOUNCES FURTHER VIETNAM SANCTIONS</title>
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<p><font face="Arial"></font><font face="Arial" size="+1"></font><font face="Arial" size="+1">May 1, 2000 <em>(3 p.m. EDT)</em> No. 89</font></p>
<p align="CENTER"><font face="Arial" size="+1"><strong>CANADA ANNOUNCES FURTHER VIETNAM SANCTIONS</strong></font><font face="Arial"></font><font face="Arial" size="+1"></font></p>
<p><font face="Arial">Foreign Affairs Minister Lloyd Axworthy, Minister for International Co-operation Maria Minna and Secretary of
State (Asia-Pacific) Raymond Chan today announced the results of Canada's review of bilateral relations with
Vietnam. The review comes in the wake of last week's execution of Nguyen Thi Hiep, a Vietnamese-Canadian
woman who had been found guilty of drug trafficking four years ago.</font></p>
<p><font face="Arial">"We have yet to receive any reaction from the Vietnamese authorities on this case. The Vietnamese
government's public pronouncements about their reasons for proceeding with the execution have not
addressed the concerns we raised with them," said Minister Axworthy. "Effective today, therefore, all ministerial-level contact between Canada and Vietnam is suspended, other than contact that occurs in the context of
multilateral meetings. In addition, Canada will not support Vietnamese candidates for positions in international
organizations." </font></p>
<p><font face="Arial">Minister Minna further strengthened Canada's message to the Government of Vietnam by indefinitely
postponing upcoming consultations on existing development assistance and future programming.</font></p>
<p><font face="Arial">"Postponing our annual consultation on development assistance will send a clear signal that we are not
satisfied with the response of the Vietnam government," said Minister Minna.</font></p>
<p><font face="Arial">Reports from Vietnam claim that the authorities there had not been convinced by the evidence provided by
Toronto police and, therefore, proceeded with the execution. "This is simply not good enough," said Secretary
of State Chan. "The Vietnamese authorities did not respond to Canada's requests that the Toronto police visit
Hanoi to provide more details of their findings. Proceeding to execution without providing for this opportunity for
further discussion was unconscionable."</font></p>
<p><font face="Arial">Mr. Axworthy called on the Vietnamese government to respond favourably to the request of Ms. Nguyen's
family that her aged mother, Tran Thi Cam, who received a life</font></p>
<p><font face="Arial">sentence on the same charge as Ms. Nguyen, be released on humanitarian grounds. The Minister also asked
that the family's request for Ms. Nguyen's remains to be returned to them be granted.</font></p>
<p align="CENTER"><font face="Arial">- 30 -</font></p>
<p><font face="Arial">For further information, media representatives may contact:</font></p>
<p><font face="Arial">Debora Brown</font></p>
<p><font face="Arial">Office of the Minister of Foreign Affairs</font></p>
<p><font face="Arial">(613) 995-1851</font></p>
<p><font face="Arial">Naseem Nuraney</font></p>
<p><font face="Arial">Office of the Secretary of State (Asia-Pacific)</font></p>
<p><font face="Arial">(613) 995-1852</font></p>
<p><font face="Arial">Media Relations Office</font></p>
<p><font face="Arial">Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade</font></p>
<p><font face="Arial">(613) 995-1874</font></p>
<p><font face="Arial">Robin Walsh</font></p>
<p><font face="Arial">Office of the Minister for International Co-operation</font></p>
<p><font face="Arial">(613) 953-3160</font></p>
<p><font face="Arial">Media Relations Office</font></p>
<p><font face="Arial">Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA)</font></p>
<p><font face="Arial">(819) 953-6534</font><font face="Arial"></font></p>
<p><font face="Arial">E-mail: <a href="https://bac-lac.wayback.archive-it.org/web/20070221005213/mailto:info@acdi-cida.gc.ca">info@acdi-cida.gc.ca</a></font></p>
<p><font face="Arial">Internet <a href="https://bac-lac.wayback.archive-it.org/web/20070221005213/http://www.acdi-cida.gc.ca/">http://www.acdi-cida.gc.ca</a> (electronic version of the document): </font></p>
<p><font face="Arial">This document is also available on the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade's Internet site:
<a href="https://bac-lac.wayback.archive-it.org/web/20070221005213/http://www.dfait-maeci.gc.ca/">http://www.dfait-maeci.gc.ca</font><font face="Arial"></a></font></p>
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