Her son’s lawyer said this was a spontaneous reaction, and that Mrs Nguyen had given him a two-page letter in Vietnamese to translate and send to The Queen.
"When I saw Mr. John Howard on TV (saying) that he had already tried, I was so sad, I was thinking `What can I do?’" Ms Nguyen said, in a statement through her lawyer.
"We still have a Queen; the Australian country is still a brother with England… I think, `Elizabeth is Queen, I will write her a letter’."
"She is a beautiful lady, she has a heart of love and care and I believe she will help me."
Presumably, The Queen will seek the advice of the Australian Prime Minister before writing. In the meantime His Eminence Cardinal Pell has sought the intervention of The Pope.
While opinion seems divided in Australia as to whether clemency should be granted, it would be difficult not to feel sympathy for Nguyen’s mother, whatever happens.
Until next time,
David Flint