Posted on 12/01/2005 4:05:42 PM PST by bloggodocio
SINGAPORE - Singapore executed a 25-year-old Australian on Friday for drug trafficking, despite numerous appeals from the Australian government and hours after the condemned man had a "beautiful last visit" with his family.
Nguyen Tuong Van was hanged before dawn as a dozen friends and supporters, dressed in black, kept an overnight vigil outside the maximum-security prison. His twin brother, Nguyen Khoa, was dressed in white.
Vigils were also held in cities around Australia, with bells and gongs sounding 25 times at the hour of his execution.
"The sentence was carried out this morning at Changi Prison," the Home Affairs Ministry said in an e-mailed statement.
Nguyen received a mandatory death sentence after he was caught in 2002 at Singapore's airport on his way home to Melbourne carrying about 14 ounces of heroin.
Singapore has executed more than 100 people for drug-related offenses since 1999, saying its tough laws and penalties are an effective deterrent against a crime that ruins lives. By contrast, Australia scrapped the death penalty in 1973 and hanged its last criminal in 1967.
While Australian leaders lashed out at the death sentence as "barbaric" and pleaded for clemency for Nguyen, Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong had ruled out a reprieve.
"We have stated our position clearly," Lee told reporters in Berlin on Thursday after meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. "The penalty is death."
Nguyen visited with his mother, Kim, twin brother, Nguyen Khoa, a friend and his lawyers Thursday afternoon.
Julian McMahon, one of his Australian lawyers, said Nguyen was "completely rehabilitated, completely reformed, completely focused on doing what is good and now they are going to kill him."
Another lawyer, Lex Lasry, said the family had a "beautiful last visit."
"It was a great visit and quite uplifting," he said, brushing away tears.
McMahon said Nguyen's mother had been allowed to hold her son's hand and touch his face in her last visit.
"That was a great comfort to her," McMahon said.
Lasry has criticized Singapore's mandatory death penalty for some drugs cases and attacked the clemency appeal process as lacking transparency.
But Singapore's Home Affairs Ministry said in an e-mail statement that every petition for clemency is carefully considered by the president, "taking into account all relevant factors."
"The president has in the past commuted the death penalty," the statement said.
According to local media, Singapore has granted clemency to six inmates on death row — all Singaporeans — since independence in 1965.
Earlier Thursday, Australian Attorney General Philip Ruddock called the planned execution "a most unfortunate, barbaric act that is occurring."
Asked about the comment in Berlin, Lee would only say that "the Australian press is colorful." Lee emphasized that all factors, including Australian letters for clemency, had been "taken into account" but said "the law will have to take its course."
I read on another thread that there are big signs up in the air port in Singapore stating clearly the penalty for drug smuggling. If I were a smuggler I would certainly stay out of Singapore with my drugs.
I wonder if anyone could be "scared straight" if they were forced to watch "Midnight Express". A tragedy, but it's just dumb to not understand that other countries are very serious about drug running.
Looking at the hang man's noose will completely focus most anyone.
If you don't like the drug laws in Singapore, the solution is VERY simple. Stay out of the country, especially if you're carrying drugs.
The Pope had some influence a few years back with the Governor of Missouri. He influenced the Gov. to commute a death sentence. I'm neither Cathloic nor a Missourian but I was touched by the events.
The poor schmuck claimed that he was a reluctant mule for a loan shark whom his brother owed $10 grand or so. If Australia had any sense of justice it would have offered to exchange the loan shark/drug dealer for this poor guy.
There was less outrage in the Australian press over this execution of their citizen in Singapore than there was over their citizen David Hicks getting cold dinner at Gitmo.
Thats not even in the same ballpark as this story. The pope had no business talking to Carnahan about that. The very next week Carnahan did not issue clemency and put a 'real possibly innocent' man to death.
The pope lost a lot of appeal among Missourians that week.
The East has harsh rules and harsher punishments. More power to them. Bring back public hangings in the US and watch crime plummet.
Huge sign and a giant skull and crossbones at the airport Immigration hall.
And Taiwan, and Malaysia...same signage there, and also announcements over the airport terminal loudspeaker.
I don't quite understand it. Another smaller country, Israel, seems to have better luck.
The KGB also had better luck in such situations. You have to be willing to fight dirty ... "you kill one of ours, we'll kill some of yours" ... or just go in and grab and waste anybody who defends (witness Kampala).
Yes ... the signs discussing the death penalty for drug dealing are in view actually BEFORE you enter the country proper ... you see them as you are coming through customs. Here are all these beautiful orchids growing everywhere, then there's those signs.
Silly that this man would risk so much to smuggle drugs into a country where no one would want any.
/sarcasm
They did want to do a prisoner swap ... but Singapore turned it down.
Interesting comparison. A white guy who got the wrong religion "oppressed" by multihued Gringos vs an asian strung up by asians. Might the white Aussies be racists, in that they seem to care less about their late druggie asian fellow citizen than their Islamofacist white compatriot?
Sand nazis (of whatever color) are far more harmful than druggies. After all, with druggies, you have to volunteer to be harmed!
It's posted everywhere, including on the Immigration Forms you fill out upon entering or leaving the Country. Plainly put "Death to Drug Smugglers" as well as other unmistakable warnings and admonitions.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.