SINGAPORE: The Vietnamese National Assembly proclaimed the unity of Vietnam today [June 24] at the opening of the first legislative period. Amid spontaneous applause from the 492 Deputies, the President of the Constituent Assembly Troung Chinh stated … “finally our country is united … we are united in freedom and independence”. The new Vietnamese National Assembly … began the day with a commemoration at the tomb of … Ho Chi Minh, leader of the Vietnamese resistance against the French and of the Communist revolution in Indo-China. — News agencies

[Meanwhile, as reported by news agencies from London,] Amnesty International appe­aled to the Indian Government today [June 24] to free all convicted political prisoners detained in India. In a … statement, Amnesty suggested that the coming first anniversary of the State of Emergency (on June 26) would provide an ideal opportunity for a general am­­nesty. The … Government is further urged to revoke suspension of the Constitution and to … adhere to the U.N. Declaration on Hu­­m­­an Rights. On the basis of official Indian statistics Amnesty put the number of political prisoners in India at around 40,000, many of whom were said to be behind bars for over one year.

Published in Dawn, June 25th, 2026