By South East Asia correspondent Peter Lloyd
The Singaporean Government says it will consider an appeal for clemency by an Australian man on death row for heroin trafficking.
But Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has defended the country's tough stance on drug crime during a meeting with Australian Prime Minister John Howard.
Mr Howard said he would use a 45-minute meeting with the Singapore leader to highlight what he called the compassionate circumstances in the case of Melbourne man Van Tuong Nguyen.
The 24-year-old was arrested in December 2002 at Singapore airport trying smuggle 400 grams of heroin on board a Qantas flight.
During his trial, Van claimed he was carrying the drug to help pay off legal bills incurred by his twin brother.
But under Singapore law, anyone caught with more than 15 grams of heroin faces a mandatory death penalty, regardless of the circumstances.
Mr Lee said the Government would consider the case for clemency.
But Singapore has proven repeatedly that foreigners are not exempt from its execution laws.
I hope he gets clemency, but it isn't fair either if he gets off and one of our local guys gets sent to the gallows. The death penalty needs a serious relook. Death for more than 15g of heroin? Surely that is cruel and unusual punishment?
ReplyDeleteBut I've a legit question: you know how our justice system is based on "innoncent until proven guilty"? When they find you with the drugs, isn't it "guilty until proven innocent" instead as the onus is on you to prove that the drugs were not put in your bag by mistake? Someone please explain. Or is having the drugs sufficient "proof" of guilt?
mis-nomer, you have raised an issue that is at the heart of the judicial process regarding drug trafficking and the MANDATORY nature of the death penalty.
ReplyDeletehello fruitsyrup, I hope you are well and how long ago were you in my class?
ReplyDeleteThank you for taking time to answer my question GK. Your clarification about the 15 grams is helpful too.
ReplyDeleteIt makes sense now that in the case of drugs the prosecution is given the right to ask questions that presume the party is guilty. Do you know if this is the case all over the world? I am just wondering if there is a working model somewhere else. What happens elsewhere, when someone is caught with drugs?
Also, I assume this presumption of guilt also extends to say, if you are found with contraband cigarettes, or a cage of exotic red-bottomed monkeys?
So 15 grams isn't as litte as it seems. Excellent explanation GK, I think this casts Nguyen in a different light. What is the street value of the drugs? Was he making just enough to cover his brother's debts, or was he going to profit a lot from it? Putting his picture masks the severity of his deeds.
ReplyDeleteI am against human beings justifying selling drugs to other human beings on the grounds that they really needed the money. I hope for his sake that he escapes the gallows, but let's face it that he's no poor little teen who did this in a moment's folly.