INDONESIA: A Philippine woman sentenced to death in Indonesia on drug charges said Thursday that she was 鈥渆lated鈥� to be returning home, after a deal brokered between the two nations.
Mary Jane Veloso was arrested in Indonesia in 2010 carrying a suitcase lined with 2.6 kilograms of heroin and later sentenced to death by firing squad.
The mother-of-two鈥檚 case sparked an uproar in the Philippines, with her family and supporters saying she was innocent and had been set up by an international drug syndicate.
On Wednesday, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos said she would be handed over to Manila following years of 鈥渓ong and difficult鈥� negotiations.
鈥淚 am very elated to hear there is an opening chance for my hope to return home and be with my family,鈥� Veloso said in a written statement read by the prison warden Evi Loliancy on Thursday.
鈥淚鈥檓 grateful and would like to thank everybody who keeps making efforts so I can return to my country,鈥� she said.
The 39-year-old said she would utilize skills she has learned in prison, including local cloth-dying techniques, to earn money for herself and her family.
Veloso鈥檚 family maintained that she was duped into signing up for a non-existent job abroad as a domestic worker and was not aware the suitcase given to her by the recruiter contained hidden drugs.
The Philippine government won a last-minute reprieve for Veloso in 2015 after a woman suspected of recruiting her was arrested and put on trial for human trafficking in a case in which Veloso was named as a prosecution witness.
Indonesia鈥檚 law and human rights minister Yusril Ihza Mahendra said President Prabowo Subianto had 鈥渁pproved the transfer,鈥� which is expected to happen next month.
Philippine leader Marcos on Wednesday posted a message thanking his Indonesian counterpart.
He said Veloso鈥檚 鈥渟tory resonates with many: a mother trapped by the grip of poverty, who made one desperate choice that altered the course of her life.鈥�