MANILA – The Philippines and Indonesia are talking to come up with a “mutually agreed solution” in the case of Mary Jane Veloso, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said over the weekend.
According to Foreign Affairs Undersecretary for Migration Eduardo Jose De Vega, the talks between the two countries came after Indonesia said it would consider transferring Veloso to a Philippine prison upon the country’s request.
“I’d just like to confirm we’re doing all we can for Mary Jane Veloso. Certainly, the Indonesians and the Filipinos have been talking about this for some time,” De Vega said.
“We hope that we’ll come out with a mutually agreed solution, which will be to the utmost benefit for Miss Veloso and her family,” he added. “We’re hopeful that we can announce something positive soon.”
On Nov. 11, Indonesia’s Coordinating Ministry for Legal, Human Rights, Immigration, and Correction said Jakarta is “currently considering” prisoner transfer for foreign inmates, including Veloso “in line with requests from the inmate’s home country.”
Veloso was held Yogyakaarta airport after being asked to bring with her a travelling bag which later turned out to have 2.6 kilos of heroin. She has repeatedly claimed she was duped into carrying to Indonesia a luggage with heroin stuffed inside.
Veloso was supposed to have been executed on April 29, 2015, but it was postponed to allow her to testify against her alleged illegal recruiters in the Philippines. She was again spared I n late 2015 as the Indonesia’s Attorney General Office (AGO) decided to forego a third round of executions for 2015 due to its economic slowdown./PN
