Few Aussies against Nguyen hanging, says addict's dad
AN AUSTRALIAN whose 40-year-old son and daughter-in-law are drug addicts has e-mailed Foreign Affairs Minister George Yeo supporting Singapore's decision to hang Nguyen Tuong Van on Friday.
The man, who asked to remain anonymous, described the anguish his family faced due to his son's drug habit, and expressed anger at those who showed sympathy for drug peddlers like Nguyen.
His e-mail, coming amid criticism from human rights and other activists, suggests ordinary Australians hold a different view and back Singapore.
The writer said as much: 'Most of the objections are coming from people who obviously have never had to go through, and continue to live with, the devastation that drugs cause to thousands of people in this country.'
Describing his son's addiction as a 'curse' and a 'nightmare', he said he took his son and daughter-in-law into his home for four years to provide stability and prevent their four children from being taken away by social services.
'It was the most emotionally draining four years of our lives. I have had the heartbreaking experience of dragging my son from our toilet with a needle in his arm, and he had stopped breathing. If it hadn't been for his wife knowing what to do, he would have died.
'Unless anyone has experienced this, they would not know what it is like to worry yourself sick every time your child goes to the toilet, is late home from wherever, or your grandchildren don't know where their parents are.'
He also criticised proposals for a minute's silence when Nguyen is executed: 'I travel extensively around Western Australia and I can tell you I have not met one single person who believes this man should not be hanged for his crime.
'If politicians proposing this ... think for one minute the majority of Australians agree with their thinking, they had better get out into the real world and listen to the people.'
He believed few Australians disagreed with the execution decision and few would be observing a minute's silence.
- AsiaOne, 30 Nov 2005.
After reading this article, I searched around Google trying to see what's the general response for the hanging of Nguyen.
Herald Sun
Should Singapore execute Tuong Van Nguyen for drug trafficking? (Nov 18)
Yes: 1024 (53.2%)
No: 898 (46.8%)
Think Centre
Death Sentence for Nguyen Tuong Van is cruel, inhumane and degrading punishment, for a non-violent crime like drug possession.
Commute death sentence: 1
COMMUTE to life sentence: 120
NO to death sentence: 295
YES to death sentence: 102
Interactive Opinions
Should the Singapore government allow physical contact between Nguyen Tuong Van and his mother before his execution on Friday?
Yes: 88%
No: 13%
Don't know: 0%
Will you boycott Singaporian products and services in protest against the Singapore governments planned execution (by hanging) of Australian man, Nguyen Tuong Van?
Yes: 24%
No: 66%
Don't know: 10%
AsiaOne
Do you think the planned execution of an Australian drug-trafficker will affect Singapore?
Yes: 21.0%
No: 54.2%
Only time will tell: 19.5%
If the 'Herald Sun' and 'Interactive Opinions' represents the majority of Australians out there, seems that the hanging of Nguyen is not much of an issue to them.
Like Chicken Little, I believe in second chances too. But too bad he had committed such a crime in Singapore that he has not much of a chance to survive. It would take a miracle for him to escape the noose.
2 comments:
Not enough people are aware that even those who don't traffic drugs are taking a big chance visiting Singapore. Drug smugglers often bribe baggage officials to let them stash their drugs in some poor unsuspecting person's luggage, with plans of someone in Singapore collecting the luggage *after* it has cleared customs. Since Singapore's judicial system puts the defendent at burden of proving innocence, someone caught with drugs in their bags is at great risk of getting hanged, even if they are not drug smugglers. There have been several cases where people ultimately hanged did not appear to be actual drug smugglers. In one case, a couple traveling with their kid was caught, and eventually the couple was hanged despite pleas that the drugs were planted. I remember reading that the couple had to contact family members to arrange foster care for their kid.
I'm speaking regarding drug traffickers. It's well known that we're a hard nation with regard to the death penalty. We're heavily-criticised for it. But we make no apologies for it.
'Enter at your own risk', has been the policy WRT drug trafficking. He comes in, he pays the penalty. He lost the gamble. Simple as that.
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