Posted on 12/01/2005 7:23:01 AM PST by 1066AD
Singapore is a WONDERFUL place to visit and live in and there is so much culture, beautiful places and many things to do and enjoy. Its got to be one of the safest, cleanest and most beautiful places in SE Asia bar none.
If you are not a druggie you are just fine over there. They stamp on your landing card in bold red ink font that drug trafficking is punishable by death no exceptions. This poor mule has no excuse I just hope he has made peace wtih God.
I'm against the death penalty for stuff like this. Murder, fine, but drug running? However, this is Singapore, w/ Singapore's rules. I don't think this kid was too bright.
Also, Changi prison was the site of an imfamous WWII POW camp. James Clavell of the "Shogun" fame wrote the book "King Rat" about his experiences as a POW during WWII.
Apparently, to smuggle heroin. Given the prescribed punishment, it is probably not the best place to engage in that activity.
I'm going there this summer for the first time, staying at Raffles and very much looking forward to it. Singapore seems to me a model of efficiency and prosperity, and no one will ever accuse it of being weak on crime.
Actually, if you're willing to sentence murderers to death, this is not very extreme. Think about how many lives are destroyed by heroin. The addict, the addicts family, the victims of the crimes that the addict commits in order to support the habit. I'll bet (though I don't know) it averages at least one outright death for that amount of drug, plus all the misery in addition.
One of the world's best cities.
The disembarkation cards spells it out: anyone caught with drugs might receive the death penalty.
Caning is also applied to people to spray paint and deface buildings, or harasses people, jaywalk, loud music, public disorder and in some cases chewing gum!
Let em swing
A relative spent WW2 in Changi but I believe the airport now sits on that site; this must be a new version somewhere else.
For Changi in WW2 also see "The Naked Island" by (Aussie) Russell Braddon.
I could go either way on a solution. We should either end the prohibition or we should adopt Singapore style draconian punishments. It really does not matter to me but the status quo needs to go.
I bet HE had some horror stories. The Japanese were brutal.
"Australian man prepares to hang"
How does one prepare?
I'm not sure how you'd go about that, but it would probably be wise to prepare to hang before you commit a capital offense in Singapore. Here in Texas all you have to do is pack an alcohol swab. Wouldn't want to get a nasty infection.
Business wise, it sits astride the Malacca Strait and is the main transport hub for all of South and Southeast Asia. The population is mainly Chinese, but there are sizable minorities of Malay and Indian, resulting in a really interesting cultural mix. This also makes it one of the best places on earth to see jaw droppingly beautiful women.
Politically, Singapore is a very good friend of the United States. Over the past few years it has seemed like every time I visit one of our Navy vessels is in port and friends and business associates tell me that there is extremely close cooperation between their military and ours.
Other than these things and a few others, there's no reason to go there at all.
"Possession of illegal drugs or weapons is punishable by Death."
A statist's paradise!!
Sounds like you can't be a gun owner either.
Think about how many lives are destroyed by alcohol - a lot more than are destroyed by heroin, if you count surviving family members of abuse, fatal car accidents, and liver disease.
Yeah, death penalty for gun owners. The 'rats are working on it.
You do the same bounce for 200g of maryjane, which has not, to my knowledge, destroyed SO many lives.
Aw, this would be so easy to fix if Geena Davis were president. She'd just invade Singapore and take over the country, all the while bowing to the cheers and accolades heaped upon her by the NY Times and every other liberal in America.
</sarcasm>
In all seriousness, I find it disturbing that Singapore chooses to kill a man for a drug offense of this nature but it all boils down to DON'T SCREW AROUND WITH ANOTHER SOVEREIGN NATION WHEN YOU'RE *INSIDE* THEIR BORDERS!!
Hanging is rough - if you don't do it right you might choke to death.
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