Save Nguyen Tuong Van

[BongoBongo]

Someone wrote in The Australian Newspaper 1 Nov 2005;

"...The ultimate legislative objective of the Singapore Drugs act 1975 was and is to prevent the growth of drug addiction in Singapore..."

Nguyen was caught by widely worded legislation.

1. He had no actual intention of importing the drugs into Singapore...He was in transit and on his way to Australia.

2. He never formally entered Singapore in terms of the Singapore Immigration act....He landed at Changi International Airport in transit from Cambodia.

So, theoretically, the Singapore Drugs Act would/should NOT APPLY to Nguyen.

 

[aunty establishment]

I received this by email today:

Dear all,

A couple of days back I asked you if you could to write letters to Van in prison.

Many of us might find it extremely difficult to find something to say someone who is about to die.

In the attached PDF two of his friends Kelly Ng and Bronwen Lew are launching a campaign whereby people who care about Van's life trace a copy of their hand as a gesture of solidarity.

Why the hand? Because placing your hand against a glass window, on the other side of which a condemned prisoner sits and places their own hand, is probably the most poignant memory for those of us who have gone through this experience of contact to death row inmates.

Its at once a gesture of solidarity hope and frailty

Kelly and Bronwen ask that you send the copy of the hand to them at the postal address given at the bottom of the flyer.

Please also fax a copy of the hand directly to Van at:
Condemned Prisoner C856 Nguyen Tuong Van
Fax (+65) 65469208
Telephone confirmation: (+65) 65469141

If you really don't have access to a fax, please send your letter to

Condemned Prisoner C856 Nguyen Tuong Van
Cluster Registry,
Changi Prison
982 Upper Changi Road
Singapore 507709

Just thought I'd pass this on in case any of you are interested in sending your thoughts to Van personally. I've omitted the PDF.

 

[MooShiE]

I have not read everyones response.. forgive me.

My own view is that the punishment is far worse than the crime. I understand he needs to be punished, but DEATH? That is a little far out.

Killing him wont stop the drug problems/smuggling.

I feel for him. Whatever his story, he does not deserve to be killed.

 

[Bent Mk2]

i may be wrong, but in the context of drug use, doesn't breaking a law effectively represent a protest against the legitimacy of that law itself? if you bow down and let them fist you with oppressive laws, then in a few years australia will also have 20 year sentences for possession.

That's all fine and dandy, except we're not talking about drug USE we're talking about someone trafficing 400grams through a country renowned for its policy on drugs. We're not exactly going to be "repressed" by laws that aren't even applicable to Australians (unless we're trafficing drugs through Singapore!)

Further more his 'excuse' that it was to repay his brother's debt doesn't really do much for me when yoy realise it was a DRUG DEBT he was trying to repay.

What was that my mum used to teach me? That's right...two wrongs don't make a right!

 

[KemicalBurn]

My own view is that the punishment is far worse than the crime. I understand he needs to be punished, but DEATH? That is a little far out.

Its easy to look from the outside and say 'thats not right', but point of fact - youre not from singapore, and if the public there felt it such an immoral law, then chances are they would have done something about it by now. I mean, if i were in power (and god willing i will be someday), and my country was being used for drug traffiking, i'd be pretty pissed.

You cant just tell another country "thats not how we do things here, you should follow our lead and slap him on the wrists."

Australia doesnt have to answer to the world and be accountable for people smuggling drugs out of Aus, we get everything sent to us.

 

[xcidium]

Maybe what Mooshie was getting to is why does he have to die for there to be justice? Why can't he just be put to life in Prison?

Surely all of Singapore's drug offenders aren't sentanced to death. (or are they?)

 

[KemicalBurn]

Maybe what Mooshie was getting to is why does he have to die for there to be justice? Why can't he just be put to life in Prison?

if he was sentenced to life in prison, no doubt the bleeding hearts about this place would still not be satisfied

 

[aunty establishment]

Surely all of Singapore's drug offenders aren't sentanced to death. (or are they?)

There are minimum amounts that qualify one for the death sentence. For methamphetamine and heroin, it's 15 grams. Lower than that and you're looking at a bloody long jail term and perhaps a caning (if you're a man, women aren't rattaned).

KB: I think you're failing to realise that Singapore has *no* provision for freedom of speech - you need to apply for a licence for any outdoor gathering of more than 5 people, and even then you can't talk about race or religion. The media is government controlled, too. Here's a headline from Tuesday's paper: "A free press? Or efficient govt?" (article goes on to justify Singapore's abysmal 104th place ranking in press freedom). It's a heck of a place.

 

[starfunker]

Thanks for the link Aunty - very interesting.

To keystroke, starfunker, static etc - Karl Popper defines a closed society (in "The open society and its enemies") as one in which people are unable to distinguish between a natural law and a social one. Such as equating "smoking causes cancer" with "heroin smuggling leads to execution". Try thinking a bit harder please, and with a bit more imagination and empathy.

I'm pretty sure I never said I want him to die...

I could be wrong though, so go back and read my post...

Didn't? good. Let's continue please.

Yes, smoking causes cancer and yes smuggling heroin leads to execution!
I understand completely that cancer is enforced by nature and execution is enforced by man.
But I don't smoke either!... *prepares to make a lot of enemies*... dick heads smoke!
There are signs on every pack just like there are signs in every air port, you ignore them, you lose, I don't give a fuck!

If this was a set up or he was subjected to this with no prior wrong doing I would be right with you but I'm not.

And if it was ecstasy I would be saying the same shit! The warnings are all there!

 

[Milf Milker]

well said Keystroke!!

What's the point in making laws in Singapore if then if we caught someone and his Govt came pestering us and we give in??

 

[Milf Milker]

you can apply and you can talk at the Speaker's Corner off Hong Liim Park. (where no one ever gives a damn)..facing the vast park and trees and some birds.. you may address your pre-approved (means you actually have to tell the authorities what you gonna say and they screen your speech before approval) speech !!!

 

[aunty establishment]

^ Yes, I'm aware of that. I actually took a stroll through Hong Lim park on Saturday I didn't have my camera with me, otherwise I would have taken a photo of the long-ass list of conditions that apply to Singapore's sanctuary of "free speech" *sigh* Thank heavens for the Internet (unless you're a blogger )

 

[KemicalBurn]

KB: I think you're failing to realise that Singapore has *no* provision for freedom of speech - you need to apply for a licence for any outdoor gathering of more than 5 people, and even then you can't talk about race or religion. The media is government controlled, too. Here's a headline from Tuesday's paper: "A free press? Or efficient govt?" (article goes on to justify Singapore's abysmal 104th place ranking in press freedom). It's a heck of a place.

Well, i didnt know that - and now that i do, i still hold my view that he shouldnt be let off, and that people should stop bitching in here about it and focus on some of the other aspects that are more inhumane than one drug smuggler's death sentence.

 

[aunty establishment]

^ Such as?

 

[KemicalBurn]

Well, i think freedom of the press should probably be the first. once the media is freed up and allowed to report properly, a wider audience of the singaporians (is that correct?) who dont have internet will be able to see how their government is preforming in the view of its own people, and not an adulterated version.

the above paragraph is based on the fact im lead to believe the press has little leeway without facing charges (i have no idea exactly "how bad" it is, so i assumed worst case scenario)

 

[aunty establishment]

The media is predominantly government owned and just recently, a number of Singaporeans were imprisoned for making supposedly racist remarks in their blogs. There are a small number of independent papers and magazines that give some alternative perspective, but the concept of "self-censorship" (not saying what you think, out of fear of some unknown consequence) is rife among the populace.

Freedom of the press isn't going to change without revolution, IMO and I doubt this will ever happen - the media constantly reinforces how good Singaporeans have it and with no outlet for dissent, how could anyone think otherwise? The level of propaganda here and in Malaysia is a little intense to anyone who comes from a country with liberalised media and it startles me what people will believe. Makes you think.

 

[Teddles]

you'd have too be pretty dopey to do something like smuggle 400gs of H down your pants in countries like that. if you have travelled overseas before in certain asian counties they have signs every in the airports saying the penallty id death. when you roll the dice in situations like that some time you don't win, V.T.N. knew the risk he had travelled before and he lost. how can anyone expext the govement to jump in every time some one fucks up O.S.?

 

[Galant]

Nguyen Tuong Van is an Australian about to become a casualty of the drug war; he is scheduled for hanging in Singapore of October 29th. If this murder takes place, Nguyen will becomethe first Australian to be executed in Asia since 1993.
Nguyen is only 25 years old.
Please act now to join the global campaign of emails, actions & protest to help save nguyen.
Visit http://www.napnt.org/pages/nguyen_tuong_van.html to join the fight

while i apsolutley sympothise with his friends and family, it is not a murder, he has been convicted of a crime which in singapore incurs the death penalty
wile it is a shame there is little hope for his relesae because of a couple of thousand people signing a pertition or sending outlines of their hands......................there are far bigger problems in the world than one convicted CRIMINAL serving his punishment. just because in australia there are different laws, its like saying u cand arrest me for having 10 ounces of weed wen in amsterdam its legal

 

[digitalurn]

The emotional deficiency here is suffocating, angry, self righteous crap. This thread is shameful considering the constructive, intelligent and human approach to drugs this site once had all over it.

How people can be satisfied with their response to this situation when it is along the lines of "what a dumbass" or "there are more important things to worry about" is totally beyond me.

If people never question social systems, how would we make any progress?

What is hanging Van going to achieve? It will not stop the heroin trade. Some unicellular poster mentioned that Van bringing heroin into the country would result in robberies to pay for it, etc. But wont stopping it coming into the country will do the same thing, as there's less available and prices go up? That's just semantics, really. There is no question; hanging Van wont do a thing to the heroin trade. It will take away his potential to become an experienced voice for constructive change, and represent another critical failure of the system to deal with the problem effectively.

 

[Cyberdyne]

This is exactly the impression I was trying to give a page ago, but the unresponsive, short, completely un thought out ("whats that my mom told me?" Wo cares, think for yourself whether your taking the piss or not) conservative little posts are continueing to appear and rally around each other. Sad.