Gordon Vuong
Encyclopedia
Gordon Vuong is a Chinese-Australian currently serving a 13-year sentence in Cambodia
for attempting to smuggle 2.1kg of heroin concealed on his body from Phnom Penh
to Australia. He was arrested at Phnom Penh international airport
on 22 January 2005 and sentenced in May 2005 at the age of 16.
Two other men, Cambodian-Australian Yin Karat, 26, and Cambodian national Ek Sam Oeun, were arrested at the same time and have been charged with helping to conceal the drugs on Vuong's body. In July 2005, Yin Karat was sentenced to 18 years imprisonment and Ek Sam Oeun, 10 years.
Vuong's sentence was of concern to Australian civil liberties
groups as a juvenile would never receive a sentence of that length in Australia.
Vuong's mother, Hong Ta, has stated that she approached the Australian Federal Police
and the New South Wales
police with concerns that her son was being used as a drug mule and that the police alerted Cambodian authorities, resulting in the arrest. A letter from the AFP to Cambodian authorities dated five days before Vuong's arrest was detailed in The Bulletin
:
Former Federal Minister for Justice and Customs, Senator Chris Ellison
denied the tip-off, contradicting the letter's contents.
The Australian Federal Police clarified The Bulletin's story, providing an explanation that the Cambodian authorities were already investigating Vuong and asked for information from the AFP who cooperated in accordance with Australian guidelines. Furthermore, the AFP were unable to act on the advice provide by Vuong's mother as Vuong had already left the country when the advice was received.
Vuong is currently detained in Cambodia's Prey Sar prison
, which is about 20km from Phnom Penh. He claims he was blackmailed by the older men, who threatened his family and took his passport.
A prisoner exchange agreement between Australia and Cambodia was signed on October 2005, which may result in Vuong's eventual repatriation to Australia.
Cambodia
Cambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...
for attempting to smuggle 2.1kg of heroin concealed on his body from Phnom Penh
Phnom Penh
Phnom Penh is the capital and largest city of Cambodia. Located on the banks of the Mekong River, Phnom Penh has been the national capital since the French colonized Cambodia, and has grown to become the nation's center of economic and industrial activities, as well as the center of security,...
to Australia. He was arrested at Phnom Penh international airport
Phnom Penh International Airport
-Statistics:-International terminal profile:*Total capacity: 2 million passengers**Surface: **Waiting lounges: **VIP Lounge: **Food & Beverage: **Duty Free: *Seat capacity: 360*Check-in counters: 22*Visa, Immigration and Customs counters: 30...
on 22 January 2005 and sentenced in May 2005 at the age of 16.
Two other men, Cambodian-Australian Yin Karat, 26, and Cambodian national Ek Sam Oeun, were arrested at the same time and have been charged with helping to conceal the drugs on Vuong's body. In July 2005, Yin Karat was sentenced to 18 years imprisonment and Ek Sam Oeun, 10 years.
Vuong's sentence was of concern to Australian civil liberties
Civil liberties
Civil liberties are rights and freedoms that provide an individual specific rights such as the freedom from slavery and forced labour, freedom from torture and death, the right to liberty and security, right to a fair trial, the right to defend one's self, the right to own and bear arms, the right...
groups as a juvenile would never receive a sentence of that length in Australia.
Vuong's mother, Hong Ta, has stated that she approached the Australian Federal Police
Australian Federal Police
The Australian Federal Police is the federal police agency of the Commonwealth of Australia. Although the AFP was created by the amalgamation in 1979 of three Commonwealth law enforcement agencies, it traces its history from Commonwealth law enforcement agencies dating back to the federation of...
and the New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
police with concerns that her son was being used as a drug mule and that the police alerted Cambodian authorities, resulting in the arrest. A letter from the AFP to Cambodian authorities dated five days before Vuong's arrest was detailed in The Bulletin
The Bulletin
The Bulletin was an Australian weekly magazine that was published in Sydney from 1880 until January 2008. It was influential in Australian culture and politics from about 1890 until World War I, the period when it was identified with the "Bulletin school" of Australian literature. Its influence...
:
Gordon Vuong has been brought to Phnom Penh by Yen Karath [a 25-year-old Cambodian-born Australian who was also arrested and jailed] to carry heroin from Hong Kong to Australia. We do not know whether Vuong will carry the heroin from Phnom Penh to Hong Kong or collect it in Hong Kong. We do not know when Vuong is leaving Phnom Penh for Hong Kong.
Former Federal Minister for Justice and Customs, Senator Chris Ellison
Chris Ellison
Christopher Martin Ellison , is a former Liberal member of the Australian Senate. He represented Western Australia in the Senate from July 1993 to January 2009.-Background:...
denied the tip-off, contradicting the letter's contents.
The Australian Federal Police clarified The Bulletin's story, providing an explanation that the Cambodian authorities were already investigating Vuong and asked for information from the AFP who cooperated in accordance with Australian guidelines. Furthermore, the AFP were unable to act on the advice provide by Vuong's mother as Vuong had already left the country when the advice was received.
Vuong is currently detained in Cambodia's Prey Sar prison
Prey Sar prison
The Prey Sar Prison, previously known as S24, is the largest of 24 Cambodian prisons and holds about 500 prisoners. Prey Sar is administrated by the Cambodian Ministry of Interior with liaisons from the Ministry of Health...
, which is about 20km from Phnom Penh. He claims he was blackmailed by the older men, who threatened his family and took his passport.
A prisoner exchange agreement between Australia and Cambodia was signed on October 2005, which may result in Vuong's eventual repatriation to Australia.