Prime Minister asks for urgent verification of information related to 39 truck victims in UK

ABO/NDO – Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has asked for urgent verification of information related to 39 people found dead in the back of a truck in the UK, including those who might be Vietnamese nationals.

Police are seen at the scene where bodies were discovered in a lorry container, in Grays, Essex, Britain October 23, 2019. (Photo: Reuters)

Accordingly, the Government leader assigned the Ministry of Public Security to coordinate with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the People’s Committees of Ha Tinh, Nghe An, relevant localities, and functional agencies to verify the case in order to take proper measures to handle it in line with Vietnamese and international laws.

He ordered to launch an investigation into alleged illegal trafficking of Vietnamese people to foreign countries and strictly deal with any violations.

He also assigned the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to direct the Vietnamese Embassy in the UK to keep a close watch on the situation and closely coordinate with British authorities in the victim identification process in case there might be Vietnamese nationals among the victims, and adopt measures to protect Vietnamese citizens as required by Vietnamese law.

Reports on the case must be submitted to the Prime Minister from authorities by November 5.

* In a statement on October 26, the Vietnamese embassy in London said that in the evening of October 25, the Vietnamese ambassador to the UK spoke on the phone to the British interior minister. Representatives of the embassy also worked with British and Essex police to discuss the case related to 39 bodies founded in the truck at Waterglade Industrial Park in the county of Essex, UK.

The Vietnamese Ambassador and several embassy staff members came to the scene, continuing to work with the local authorities and the Essex police.

The Embassy and UK authorities agreed to work closely, sharing information with each other during the investigation and verification of the victims’ identities. The embassy has also established an information exchange channel and has coordinated directly with the Essex police, which is in charge of investigating the incident.

The Embassy committed to coordinate closely with UK authorities and is ready to take measures to protect citizens in case there are victims who are Vietnamese nationals.

To receive assistance in relation to the case, people can contact the Embassy of Vietnam in the UK via its hotline for assisting overseas Vietnamese at +44 7713 181501 or Vietnam’s general citizen protection hotline at +84981 8484 84.

(Source: NDO)