Vietnam to give foreign inmates 2 ‘days off’ every year
Foreign prisoners in Vietnam will be given two days with preferential treatment during their national holidays, in addition to enjoying the same welfare as Vietnamese inmates, a new rule says.
This new policy for foreign inmates was introduced by the central government and will take effect on November 11, 2015.
Accordingly, foreign prisoners will enjoy two days off every year, one on their nation’s traditional festival and another on the National Day of their country.
On the two preferential days, they are exempted from doing their everyday work and allowed to have the same special food rations as those intended for Vietnamese prisoners during their Tet (Lunar New Year) or other national holidays.
The new rule also stipulates that convicted foreigners will be detained and supervised separately from other inmates, and will be entitled to the same welfare as their local peers when it comes to food, clothing, accommodation, and healthcare during their jail terms.
The new policy reflects the humanitarian nature of Vietnam’s laws related to foreign prisoners, Major General Nguyen Ngoc Bang, head of the General Department of Criminal Verdict Execution and Judicial Assistance Police, under the Ministry of Public Security, told Tuoi Tre(Youth) newspaper.
In that spirit, foreign inmates should be given the rights and interests that they deserve in accordance with Vietnamese law, Major General Bang said.