Viet Nam has been consistent in strictly punishing drug trafficking and has always co-operated with other countries in preventing and fighting drug-related crimes, Foreign Ministry spokesman Le Hai Binh said yesterday.

Responding to reporters' questions about Indonesia's recent execution of Vietnamese citizen Tran Thi Bich Hanh, he said "Vietnamese diplomatic agencies had carried out all necessary citizen protection measures with this case."

The Vietnamese Embassy in Indonesia and other diplomatic agencies had many times requested Indonesian authorities to ensure the legal rights of Vietnamese citizens, and to consider reducing the sentence, Binh said.

Hanh, who was arrested in Indonesia in June 2011 for carrying methamphetamine in her body, was sentenced to death in November the same year. 

VNS