FM Spokeswoman rejects an intervention by Amnesty Int'l
Ha Noi, March 27 (VNA) -- Amnesty International's call for those who illegally flee their country be given refuge is an intervention in the internal affairs of that country and that cannot be accepted, says Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Phan Thuy Thanh.
Ms. Thanh was responding to questions by reporters from AFP, AP and The South China Morning Post newspaper seeking Viet Nam's response to Amnesty International's call for a number of Vietnamese minority people, who recently left the country for Cambodia, be given refuge. She said:
" Recently a number of Vietnamese people illegally left the country for Cambodia.
Viet Nam and Cambodia have discussed ways to settle the issue in conformity with the exit-and-entry agreements between the two countries.
We know that some foreigners are scheming to prevent those people from returning to Viet Nam.
We strongly oppose the move because it sabotages fundamental principles in nation-to-nation relations.
Amnesty International's call for those who illegally flee their country be given refuge is an intervention in the internal affairs of that country and that cannot be accepted. By doing so, Amnesty International is encouraging the illegal outgoing and jeopardising the peaceful life of people living in the Viet Nam-Cambodia border provinces".--VNA
