A Vietnam court has sentenced three men to 3.5 to five years in prison for illegally sending 84 Vietnamese people to Australia by boat last year.

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The court in southern Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province opened a trial for Nguyen Trung Tien, Mai Van Vien, and Tran Van Hieu on Thursday. Tien, 30, was given a five-year jail term while his two accomplices – Vien, 35, and Hieu, 28 – each received a 42-month verdict, the court said. All the three were convicted of “organizing and/or coercing other persons to flee abroad or to stay abroad” pursuant to Article 275 of the Penal Code, the jury said.

The court also ordered a confiscation of VND230 million (US$10,840) illegitimately gained by the convicts from their offenses. According to the indictment, from early 2013 until June that year, Tien lured 84 people in Vung Tau City and Chau Duc and Long Dien Districts to join an illegal sea trip – organized by him – to Australia with a view to unlawfully migrating to the country. In return, each of the trip participants paid Tien VND100-150 million ($4,715-7,070). Tien hired Vien to build a boat and prepare food and other necessities for the trip. He then employed Hieu as the pilot of the boat, which was disguised as an offshore fishing vessel.     On June 28, 2013, Hieu steered the boat with 84 other people on board to leave the coastal area of Long Hai Town, starting its journey to Australia. After 16 days, the boat entered Australian waters and was seized by local authorities. Australia authorities later deported nine of these 84 people and sent all the remaining to a refugee camp, Lao Dong (Labor) newspaper reported.  Tien, Hieu, and Vien were arrested later by Vietnamese police in Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province.

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