A CAMPAIGN has been launched to save a mentally unstable man from receiving the death penalty in Vietnam.

Luong Le Manh, of Ryan Close, Kidbrooke, has been tried and convicted of trafficking heroin through Vietnam into Hong Kong.

He is now appealing to the country's supreme court.

The charity Reprieve, which works for British nationals on death row, has launched a campaign on his behalf.

It is attempting to have the death penalty commuted to life in prison due to his mental health.

Although doctors in Vietnam found Le Manh did have mental problems, they refused to allow the British Embassy access to his file and did not specify what kind of issues he faced.

Le Manh suffered severe brain damage at the age of seven during the Vietnam War, when a bomb hit his former home and killed his two brothers.

Reprieve case worker Denise Eastlake claims his family reported numerous strange occurrences during his trial.

Thanh Le, Mr Le Manh's niece, told the charity he seemed unable to follow the proceedings.

He was heard asking questions in court such as "what is heroin?" and "what is a weapon?"

Ms Le has been supporting him since he was arrested on June 25, 2004, and believes the intensity of the trial pushed him over the edge.

Ms Le believes his lack of coherence was not taken seriously by the judge during the proceedings, sometimes causing bouts of laughter among those behind the bench and in the gallery His appeal is expected to be heard in the next couple of weeks.

Should the appeal fail, 46-year-old Le Manh will have seven days to ask the Vietnamese President for clemency, otherwise he will face a firing squad.

Le Manh, who fled Vietnam in the early 1980s, arrived in London in 1983.

He worked as a car mechanic and has two British sons along with an extended family, all of whom still live in Kidbrooke.

His niece, from Kidbrooke, claims his mental health has worsened since he was convicted and sentenced to death on November 25 last year.

She said: "He is an incredibly funny and caring man and a wonderful uncle.

"He always encouraged me to study hard. He was the one who pushed me to go to university.

"I now have a career and I have him to thank."

Le Manh's family also say he has suffered severe cuts and swelling due to the fact his wrists, ankles and legs have been shackled almost permanently since he arrived in jail.

Greenwich and Woolwich MP Nick Raynsford said: "I have contacted the Foreign Office, which has confirmed that in line with our opposition to the death penalty in all circumstances, it has made representations against its imposition in this case.I"

He added: "I am also pleased Ian McCartney, the minister responsible for relations with Vietnam, has written to the Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister and will continue to monitor developments closely."

  • According to Reprieve, there are 11 British nationals on death row around the world, including Le Manh.

THE FACTS ABOUT THE COUNTRY:

Full name: Socialist Republic of Vietnam.

Politics: Communist.

Population: 83.6 million (UN, 2005).

Location: South East Asia.

Major language: Vietnamese.

Major religion: Buddhism.

Unified: 1976.

Capital: Hanoi.

Main exports: Petroleum, rice, coffee, clothing, fish.

Average yearly income per person: £310 (World Bank, 2006).

Capital punishment: 88 people, including 12 women, were sentenced to death in 2004 - 44 for drug offences and six for fraud (Amnesty International).

Method: Firing squad used for 29 crimes, including offences such as drug-trafficking and fraud.

Access: Vietnam continues to deny entry to independent human rights monitors.