Vietnamese Businessman Arrested in Singapore

A Vietnamese property developer charged with disclosing state secrets has been arrested in Singapore.


A lawyer for Phan Van Anh Vu says his client was detained last Thursday in the city-state as he tried to cross the border into Malaysia.  


The lawyer said the family of the 42-year-old Vu "is concerned there is an imminent risk" he will be repatriated to Vietnam, where he faces the possibility of the death penalty if he is convicted.  Choo says his client has applied for asylum in a European country, but would not reveal which one.


Another of Vu's attorneys, told Reuters his client has applied for entry into Germany.  


The 42-year-old Vu is one of many Vietnamese officials and business figures who have been swept up in massive anti-corruption crackdown by the government. 


Among those arrested was Trinh Xuan Thanh, an executive of the state-owned energy company PetroVietnam, who was seized by Vietnamese security agents last July from Berlin's Tiergarten park a day before he was due to appear for a hearing on his request for political asylum in Germany.


The incident angered Berlin, which called it an "unprecedented and blatant violation" of German and international law.