Pubdate: Tue, 02 May 2000 Source: Orange County Register (CA) Copyright: 2000 The Orange County Register Contact: P.O. Box 11626, Santa Ana, CA 92711 Fax: (714) 565-3657 Website: http://www.ocregister.com/ Author: David Lhunggren - Reuters CANADA SUSPENDS VIETNAM TIES OVER EXECUTION OTTAWA - An infuriated Canada said Monday that it was freezing all ministerial ties with Vietnam to protest Hanoi's reluctance to explain why it executed a Canadian woman on drug smuggling charges. Ottawa also said it was suspending talks on furthering Canada's development assistance to Vietnam, which amounts to $11 million a year. Foreign Minster Lloyd Axworthy said Vietnam had not responded to requests to explain why it had refused to review evidence that Canada said cast doubts on the conviction of Nguyen Thi Hiep. "Effective today, therefore, all ministerial-level contact between Canada and Vietnam is suspended ... . In addition, Canada will not support Vietnamese candidates for positions in international organizations," Axworthy said in a statement. International Co-operation Minister Maria Minna said Ottawa was especially unhappy at Vietnam's decision - just days after Nguyen's execution last week - - to grant amnesty to 12,264 prisoners to mark the 25th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War. "I cannot explain how they could do such a thing. This is why we are so angry, this is why we're taking the actions we're taking," she said. Vietnam's deputy foreign minister has said authorities had no choice but to execute Nguyen, who was caught red-handed with heroin at Hanoi airport in April 1996. She was convicted in March 1997. But Canada says Hanoi went back on a promise to look at evidence gathered by Toronto police, which seemed to suggest Nguyen had been duped into carrying the drugs. - --- MAP posted-by: Doc-Hawk