Hanoi - A leading Buddhist monk and 11 foreign nationals have been freed in Vietnam as part of a prison amnesty, the Foreign Ministry said yesterday.
A spokeswoman, Ms Phan Thuy Thanh, said the monk, Thich Nhat Ban, had been freed under an amnesty for 2,630 prisoners that took effect from October 23rd to 25th. The government released several religious figures and dissident writers in a sweeping amnesty for 5,219 prisoners in early September.