Vietnamese Ambassador to Cambodia Vu Quang Minh (Photo: VNA)
Phnom Penh (VNA) - TheTreaty on the Transfer of Sentenced Persons between Vietnam and Cambodia willcome into effect on October 1, allowingcertain inmates to continue serving jail terms in their home nations, theCambodian Ministry of Justice announced on September 14.
Kim Santepheap, Secretary of State at theMinistry of Justice, said the treaty will benefit both nations and it wasdifferent from an extradition agreement.
This treatywill allow the transfer of sentenced persons between the two nations, he said,adding that in some cases, families of the sentenced persons can also requestthe respective governments for the transfer.
VietnameseAmbassador to Cambodia Vu Quang Minh said this is a very humanitarianarrangement, reflecting mutual trust and close cooperation between lawenforcement authorities of the two countries.
He said the treaty would help both sides to transfer certain inmates tocontinue serving their sentences in their own countries so their families canalso visit and support them while in prison.
The ambassadorexpressed his hope that the Vietnam and Cambodia will continue their jointefforts to find and curb transnational crimes, including human trafficking,drug abuse and illegal trade, and reduce the crime rates in both countries.
Kin Phea, Director-Generalof the Royal Academy of Cambodia’s International Relations Institute, describedthe treaty as a good legal instrument that highlights good legal cooperationbetween the two countries.
During hisvisit to Vietnam in December 2016, Prime Minister Hun Sen and his Vietnamesecounterpart Nguyen Xuan Phuc witnessed the signing of three cooperativeagreements, including the Treaty on Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Mattersbetween the two nations and the Treaty on the Transfer of Sentenced Persons.
In May 2020, the Vietnamese Embassypresented 4,000 antimicrobial face masks to detention centres through theInternational Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Cambodia.
The support was in response to a call from theICRC in Cambodia for medical supplies for detainees amid the ravaging COVID-19pandemic./.
