PHNOM PENH, March 13 (Xinhua) -- The National Assembly of Cambodia on Friday adopted a draft law on transfer of convicted inmate treaty between Cambodia and Vietnam.
The draft bill is the first-ever treaty Cambodia has with a foreign country.
One hundred and sixteen lawmakers, including Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen, unanimously approved the draft law.
Speaking during the assembly's session, Cambodia's Justice Minister Ang Vong Vathana said the treaty was signed by the governments of the two countries on Dec. 20, 2016 in Hanoi.
Under the treaty, Cambodian convicts being jailed in Vietnam can be transferred to serve their terms in Cambodia, as convicted Vietnamese people being imprisoned in Cambodia can be moved to serve their terms in Vietnam, he said.
"The treaty aims to enhance cooperation in prisoner exchange so as to give an opportunity to prisoners to integrate into their society," Vathana said. "The treaty is purely for humanitarian grounds and is to show the states' responsibilities on their respective peoples."
The National Assembly on Friday also approved a treaty on mutual legal assistance in criminal matters between Cambodia and Vietnam.
