HANG LAW . Singaporeans are so willingly to kill the man

[Lambada]

***
Why Singaporeans are so willingly to kill the man
in the transit lounge air port with his heroin to carry
to Australia destinaton ? Let AU handle her own crime
by deport him back to AU according to international law

By now, Mr Nguen Tuong Van is near to death by
the Humanity Law of Singapore of hanging. I light a candle for
him, may peace and God be with you

(fwd)

WORLD NEWS


http://www.thecouriermail.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5936,17432290%255E954,00.html

back PRINT-FRIENDLY VERSION EMAIL THIS STORY


COMPOSED and thinking good things . . . Nguyen Tuong Van.


Mum held Nguyen's hand for last time
Jamie Walker in Singapore
02dec05
NGUYEN Tuong Van was due to be woken by his guards at 4am today in
Singapore's Changi Prison.

But with only hours of his young life left, it was doubtful the
Melbourne man would have slept at all.

The countdown to his execution at 8am Queensland time was to begin with
Nguyen showering and being served a simple breakfast of bread, fruit
and coffee. A Catholic priest was due to come to his cell to pray with
him.

His last moments were expected to proceed as things do in Singapore:
methodically, with almost sterile efficiency.

The one comfort he was permitted yesterday was to hold hands with his
heartbroken mother, Kim, and twin brother, Khoa.


Mrs Nguyen had wanted to hug her son, but her request for physical
contact was rejected because the Singaporeans consider it to be too
destabilising. Only after an appeal by Prime Minister John Howard, did
local authorities agree to allow the condemned man to touch hands with
his mother, a pitifully sad gesture of goodbye.

As is the practice in Singapore, no outside witnesses were to be
present at Nguyen's hanging.

His lawyers Lex Lasry, QC, and Julian McMahon continued to fight to the
bitter end, making last-ditch pleas to senior Singaporean Government
officials yesterday in a seemingly futile effort to secure a reprieve.

After his final visit with Nguyen, an emotional Mr Lasry said: "I think
the thing that strikes me about this is that we are looking into the
eyes of a healthy, 25-year-old man with so much to offer, who is going
to die a violent death."

Mr McMahon described Nguyen's state of mind as "beautiful" and said he
was cheerful and composed.

"He only wishes to think good thoughts, say good things and do what is
right," Mr McMahon said.

"He is completely rehabilitated, completely reformed, completely
focused on doing what is good and now they are going to kill him."

Nguyen said farewell to his mother, brother, and school friends,
Bronwyn Lew and Kelly Ng, in a four-hour meeting yesterday before being
returned to his isolation cell.
Mrs Nguyen left the jail, her head covered by a white scarf.

She was escorted to a waiting car, along with Khoa, by Australian
embassy officials who wrapped their arms around the distraught woman.

It was the last time she was to see her condemned son.

Local lawyer and anti-death penalty campaigner M. Ravi said Nguyen's
legal team should have still applied to a court to give Mrs Nguyen the
comfort of hugging her son.

"No judge in Singapore would stop a mother from doing that," he said.

"The courts are not that cruel."

Mr Ravi has had two clients executed under Singapore's mandatory death
policy for hard drug trafficking and knows the routine of those final
harrowing hours on Changi's death row.

Nguyen has been in Changi for the past three years since he was
arrested with almost 400g of heroin. He had been trying to board a
Qantas flight to Melbourne with the drugs strapped to his body and
inside his hand luggage, but it was discovered as he walked through a
metal detector.

Baring the near-miracle of a death's-door reprieve, Nguyen would be
dressed in standard prison garb of white shirt and shorts before being
taken to a holding cell about 20m from the gallows.

As dawn broke, he would have been told it was time.

A black hood would be pulled over his head and his hands cuffed behind
his back.

Four guards would have escorted him to the gallows where, according to
Mr Ravi, a nylon noose was to be fitted around his neck.

Between 6 and 6.30am (local time), justice Singapore-style would have
been done.



========


NATIONAL NEWS

http://www.thecouriermail.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5936,17431929%255E953,00.html


back PRINT-FRIENDLY VERSION EMAIL THIS STORY


OVERCOME . . . a distraught Kim Nguyen is comforted by Liz Lasry, wife
of lawyer Lex Lasry, after visiiting for the last time her condemned
son Tuong Van Nguyen at Singapore's Changi Prison yesterday.


Nguyen hanging to traumatise guards
Russell Robinson in Singapore
02dec05
GUARDS on death row in Singapore's Changi prison will be "very upset"
by the execution of Nguyen Tuong Van, according to the lawyer of the
convicted Melbourne drug trafficker.
Lex Lasry, QC, said the guards had cared for Nguyen and treated him
like a son.

"They're going to be very upset," he said.

"They work in death row on the ground and they feel it. Van and these
men have a great relationship and I've seen evidence of it during the
course of our visits.

"Yesterday, a couple of prison officers arrived with a bag of food for
him, which was chocolates and those sorts of things. That's the way
they try to bestow some sort of privileges on him."

Nguyen was to be executed at 6am (8am Queensland time) today, after
spending his final night praying with a priest.

"He loves the 23rd Psalm and that will figure in the last hours," Mr
Lasry said.

"He's determined to go out with strength and optimism."

Speaking just hours after paying his last visit with Nguyen, Mr Lasry
said the young Australian would not be shackled when taken to the
gallows.

"He'll walk to the gallows and he'll walk confidently," he said.

"He'll have Rosary beads and he'll have people with him. He genuinely
thinks he's going somewhere good."

Nguyen's body will be taken from the prison several hours after the
execution, when he is pronounced dead and a formal identification of
the body is made.

A special vehicle, arranged by the Australian embassy and his lawyers,
will then take Nguyen's body out of the prison to prepare for the
flight home to Melbourne where a special funeral service will be held.

Mr Lasry last night reflected on his relationship with the client he
and their supporters simply call Van. He said Nguyen had been spending
considerable time writing letters to his family, friends and
supporters.

"His cell, which he calls his room, is filled with photographs and
writing gear all around," Mr Lasry said.

"He told Julian McMahon (his other Melbourne lawyer) that he measures
his time in jail by the time that a Biro lasts, which is 16 to 18 days.


"Of course, that's over."

His twin brother Khoa spent considerable time visiting him yesterday,
wearing all-white clothes, the traditional symbol of mourning.

When he was arrested three years ago with almost 400g of heroin
strapped to his body and inside his hand luggage, Nguyen claimed he had
acted as a drug mule to help pay Khoa's debts.

Yesterday, Mr Lasry said Khoa, who has maintained his silence, was
feeling "somewhat solitary" and wanting some time to himself.

"It must be terribly difficult for him, particularly as he looks to his
future and particularly being a twin," he said. "I think the wrench
that will be involved in the death of his brother will be amazing."

Mr Lasry said before the trial he offered to plead to a charge which
would have given Nguyen more than 20 years behind bars.

"For a boy of 22, it's a pretty savage sentence, and it's way in excess
of any sentence a judge would impose in Australia," he said. "And the
fact it's in Singapore doesn't make it right."

[sorella]

Just look at this at how terrible those drug pushers torch the bus
passengers and wome nand children in the bus in drug-infested Rio de Janeiro
is enoughto sy why Singapore hs to be serious with drug traffickers and
pushers, and couriers.
http://www.thecouriermail.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5936,17435063%255E
1702,00.html

Post by Lambada
***
Why Singaporeans are so willingly to kill the man
in the transit lounge air port with his heroin to carry
to Australia destinaton ? Let AU handle her own crime
by deport him back to AU according to international law
By now, Mr Nguen Tuong Van is near to death by
the Humanity Law of Singapore of hanging. I light a candle for
him, may peace and God be with you
(fwd)
WORLD NEWS

http://www.thecouriermail.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5936,17432290%255E
954,00.html

Post by Lambada
back PRINT-FRIENDLY VERSION EMAIL THIS STORY
COMPOSED and thinking good things . . . Nguyen Tuong Van.
Mum held Nguyen's hand for last time
Jamie Walker in Singapore
02dec05
NGUYEN Tuong Van was due to be woken by his guards at 4am today in
Singapore's Changi Prison.
But with only hours of his young life left, it was doubtful the
Melbourne man would have slept at all.
The countdown to his execution at 8am Queensland time was to begin with
Nguyen showering and being served a simple breakfast of bread, fruit
and coffee. A Catholic priest was due to come to his cell to pray with
him.
methodically, with almost sterile efficiency.
The one comfort he was permitted yesterday was to hold hands with his
heartbroken mother, Kim, and twin brother, Khoa.
Mrs Nguyen had wanted to hug her son, but her request for physical
contact was rejected because the Singaporeans consider it to be too
destabilising. Only after an appeal by Prime Minister John Howard, did
local authorities agree to allow the condemned man to touch hands with
his mother, a pitifully sad gesture of goodbye.
As is the practice in Singapore, no outside witnesses were to be
present at Nguyen's hanging.
His lawyers Lex Lasry, QC, and Julian McMahon continued to fight to the
bitter end, making last-ditch pleas to senior Singaporean Government
officials yesterday in a seemingly futile effort to secure a reprieve.
After his final visit with Nguyen, an emotional Mr Lasry said: "I think
the thing that strikes me about this is that we are looking into the
eyes of a healthy, 25-year-old man with so much to offer, who is going
to die a violent death."
Mr McMahon described Nguyen's state of mind as "beautiful" and said he
was cheerful and composed.
"He only wishes to think good thoughts, say good things and do what is
right," Mr McMahon said.
"He is completely rehabilitated, completely reformed, completely
focused on doing what is good and now they are going to kill him."
Nguyen said farewell to his mother, brother, and school friends,
Bronwyn Lew and Kelly Ng, in a four-hour meeting yesterday before being
returned to his isolation cell.
Mrs Nguyen left the jail, her head covered by a white scarf.
She was escorted to a waiting car, along with Khoa, by Australian
embassy officials who wrapped their arms around the distraught woman.
It was the last time she was to see her condemned son.
Local lawyer and anti-death penalty campaigner M. Ravi said Nguyen's
legal team should have still applied to a court to give Mrs Nguyen the
comfort of hugging her son.
"No judge in Singapore would stop a mother from doing that," he said.
"The courts are not that cruel."
Mr Ravi has had two clients executed under Singapore's mandatory death
policy for hard drug trafficking and knows the routine of those final
harrowing hours on Changi's death row.
Nguyen has been in Changi for the past three years since he was
arrested with almost 400g of heroin. He had been trying to board a
Qantas flight to Melbourne with the drugs strapped to his body and
inside his hand luggage, but it was discovered as he walked through a
metal detector.
Baring the near-miracle of a death's-door reprieve, Nguyen would be
dressed in standard prison garb of white shirt and shorts before being
taken to a holding cell about 20m from the gallows.
As dawn broke, he would have been told it was time.
A black hood would be pulled over his head and his hands cuffed behind
his back.
Four guards would have escorted him to the gallows where, according to
Mr Ravi, a nylon noose was to be fitted around his neck.
Between 6 and 6.30am (local time), justice Singapore-style would have
been done.
========
NATIONAL NEWS

http://www.thecouriermail.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5936,17431929%255E
953,00.html

Post by Lambada
back PRINT-FRIENDLY VERSION EMAIL THIS STORY
OVERCOME . . . a distraught Kim Nguyen is comforted by Liz Lasry, wife
of lawyer Lex Lasry, after visiiting for the last time her condemned
son Tuong Van Nguyen at Singapore's Changi Prison yesterday.
Nguyen hanging to traumatise guards
Russell Robinson in Singapore
02dec05
GUARDS on death row in Singapore's Changi prison will be "very upset"
by the execution of Nguyen Tuong Van, according to the lawyer of the
convicted Melbourne drug trafficker.
Lex Lasry, QC, said the guards had cared for Nguyen and treated him
like a son.
"They're going to be very upset," he said.
"They work in death row on the ground and they feel it. Van and these
men have a great relationship and I've seen evidence of it during the
course of our visits.
"Yesterday, a couple of prison officers arrived with a bag of food for
him, which was chocolates and those sorts of things. That's the way
they try to bestow some sort of privileges on him."
Nguyen was to be executed at 6am (8am Queensland time) today, after
spending his final night praying with a priest.
"He loves the 23rd Psalm and that will figure in the last hours," Mr
Lasry said.
"He's determined to go out with strength and optimism."
Speaking just hours after paying his last visit with Nguyen, Mr Lasry
said the young Australian would not be shackled when taken to the
gallows.
"He'll walk to the gallows and he'll walk confidently," he said.
"He'll have Rosary beads and he'll have people with him. He genuinely
thinks he's going somewhere good."
Nguyen's body will be taken from the prison several hours after the
execution, when he is pronounced dead and a formal identification of
the body is made.
A special vehicle, arranged by the Australian embassy and his lawyers,
will then take Nguyen's body out of the prison to prepare for the
flight home to Melbourne where a special funeral service will be held.
Mr Lasry last night reflected on his relationship with the client he
and their supporters simply call Van. He said Nguyen had been spending
considerable time writing letters to his family, friends and
supporters.
"His cell, which he calls his room, is filled with photographs and
writing gear all around," Mr Lasry said.
"He told Julian McMahon (his other Melbourne lawyer) that he measures
his time in jail by the time that a Biro lasts, which is 16 to 18 days.
"Of course, that's over."
His twin brother Khoa spent considerable time visiting him yesterday,
wearing all-white clothes, the traditional symbol of mourning.
When he was arrested three years ago with almost 400g of heroin
strapped to his body and inside his hand luggage, Nguyen claimed he had
acted as a drug mule to help pay Khoa's debts.
Yesterday, Mr Lasry said Khoa, who has maintained his silence, was
feeling "somewhat solitary" and wanting some time to himself.
"It must be terribly difficult for him, particularly as he looks to his
future and particularly being a twin," he said. "I think the wrench
that will be involved in the death of his brother will be amazing."
Mr Lasry said before the trial he offered to plead to a charge which
would have given Nguyen more than 20 years behind bars.
"For a boy of 22, it's a pretty savage sentence, and it's way in excess
of any sentence a judge would impose in Australia," he said. "And the
fact it's in Singapore doesn't make it right."

[Lambada]

***
Basic of fire fighter is extinguish the source of fire, not the flame

To fight gun, drug, prostitution. Then dig right into the sources,
because anything available can catch the buyers's eye

You can not kill millions of chicken to prevent the chicken
flu, the world needs to develope the other way to fight virus
by inoculation

It's tough choice, since the mankind already started those problems
from the begining, the new society today have to be addapted by
new approach way of life

I believe drug is the cause but there must be another alternative
way to treat that cause

Can we NUKE the world and stop everything ???

[S***@aol.com]

***
Speech less

Loading Image...

<table
background="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/a/ae/Candle-lighthouse.jpg/180px-Candle-lighthouse.jpg"
width=180px height=240px
style="background-repeat:no-repeat"><tr><td></td></tr>
</table>

(fwd)

Bells toll for Nguyen
Email Print Normal font Large font Nguyen Tuong Van's twin, Khoa,
arrives at Singapore's Changi Prison ahead of his brother's hanging
this morning.
Photo: AP
Related coverage
Singaporean PM rules out pardon
Eloquent QC struggles to find words
Sympathy dries up as many back death for drugs
A slight dent in Singapore's armour
MULTIMEDIA Nguyen Tuong Van
VOTE Death penalty
AUDIO Deadline passes
Advertisement
AdvertisementBy Steve Butcher and Jesse Hogan
December 2, 2005 - 9:34AM
Page 2 of 2
Supporters of Nguyen Tuong Van wept openly at a memorial service in
Richmond this morning when church bells rang out to signify his
execution in Singapore.

Nguyen, 25, was due to be hanged at Changi Prison at 6am (9am AEST)
despite last-ditch bids for clemency to halt his execution.
http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2005/12/01/1133422073898.html?page=2
More than 500 supporters gathered at St Ignatius Church, adjacent to
the primary school Nguyen and his brother, Khoa, attended. Some had
been there since 6am.

In Singapore, Nguyen's twin brother, Khoa, stood outside Changi Prison
as the deadline passed.

He was accompanied by his brother's former schoolmates Kelly Ng and
Bronwyn Lew, and lawyer Julian McMahon.

No immediate announcement is expected of the execution.

If Nguyen's execution proceeded as planned, a hearse would be sent to
Changi Prison to collect his body at about 11am local time (2pm AEDT).

Throughout the night, protesters arrived in pairs to drop off candles
at the gates to the prison's visitors' entrance before driving off.

Six to eight candles are sitting in various glass jars and holders
which have been placed right to the entrance.

Protests are rare in Singapore, where gatherings of more than a few
activists at a time are prohibited. Interestingly, there has been no
police prescence at the prison overnight, despite the activists'
presence.

Over the past hour, six to eight cars have entered the prison, a
modern, unassuming-looking complex.

From outside the complex, it's impossible to tell where the gallows

are.

School prayers

Mourners spent the last 5 minutes before 9am at St Ignatius Church,
Richmond in silence devoted to prayer.

At 9am sharp, the church bells rang 25 times - signifying "25 years of
a life taken too soon," Fr Norden said.

Many people inside and outside the church wept silently during the
tolling of the bells.

Afterward, Fr Norden thanked the congregation and said a farewell
prayer for Nguyen.

There are no vacant pews inside the church. All newcomers are standing
at the back and sides of the church.

The memorial service began at 8.30am and finished about 8.50am.

Douglas Wood, the Australian hostage freed in Iraq earlier this year
visited the church earlier this morning. Wood has previously called for
Nguyen's life to be spared.

Father Peter Norden told the congregation: "We come as friends, people
who know him and know his family ... all the parts in this tragedy."

Fr Norden spoke of Nguyen's birth in a refugee camp in Cambodia, and
paid tribute to the life he made for himself in Australia.

"Our prayers are with him this morning as he faces his fate with great
courage and great faith."

He also urged the congregation to strive to understand "the truth"
about capital punishment.

"The Christian church will stand in opposition to the taking of human
life because we believe in the dignity of all human life," he said.

"We know you cannot uphold the dignity of human life by taking the life
of another."


Candelight vigils

Candlelight vigils are being held around Australia this morning to mark
the execution of convicted drug trafficker Nguyen Tuong Van.

The 25-year-old will walk to the gallows at Singapore's Changi prison
at 9am.

Last night, as the sun sank on a scorching Melbourne day, about 1000
people carried flickering candles through the city down St Kilda Road
to mark the last hours of Van Nguyen's life.

In Canberra, the Australian Greens will host a silent vigil outside
Singapore's High Commission in Canberra to express their sorrow at
Nguyen's death.

In Singapore, the newly-formed Singapore Anti-Death Penalty Committee
said in a statement they "utterly deplore and condemn'' the hanging of
Nguyen Tuong Van, 25, as an "inhumane and barbaric punishment
disproportionate to his crime''.

Members of the group, including artists and professionals, gathered at
a 24-hour sidewalk cafe near Changi Prison.

They lit a candle atop an outdoor table on which pictures of Nguyen and
messages of sympathy were displayed.

Candles were also left at the gates of the prison, where foreign and
local journalists were camping out next to a television transmission
dish.

[S***@aol.com]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051201/ap_on_re_as/singapore_execution

***
DONE ? A good hanging job, perhaps ?

Singapore You guys need a supervision for future's law, not last for
ever
DONT HANG YOUR SELF, the world will jude you soon

(fwd)
Singapore Hangs Australian Drug Smuggler By GILLIAN WONG, Associated
Press Writer
11 minutes ago

SINGAPORE - An Australian man was executed by hanging Friday for drug
trafficking,
Singapore announced, hours after his lawyer said he had a "beautiful
last visit" with his family.

Nguyen, 25, was executed before dawn despite numerous appeals from
Australia for
his life to be spared. He received a mandatory death sentence after
being caught with
14 ounces of heroin at the city-state's Changi Airport in 2002.

"The sentence was carried out this morning at Changi Prison," the Home
Affairs
Ministry said in an e-mailed statement.

Australia scrapped the death penalty in 1973 and hanged its last
criminal in 1967,
while Singapore has executed more than 100 people for drug-related
offenses since 1999.


Email Story IM Story Discuss Printable View RECOMMEND THIS STORY
Recommend It:

Average (99 votes)
» Recommended Stories

[S***@aol.com]

***
Ashes to ashes, dirt-dirt, Islam dont eat pig
Indian dont eat beef.

We all eat our own flesh

(fwd) http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2005/12/01/1133422073898.html


By Steve Butcher and Jesse Hogan
December 2, 2005 - 9:34AM
Page 1 of 2
Supporters of Nguyen Tuong Van wept openly at a memorial service in
Richmond this morning when church bells rang out to signify his
execution in Singapore.

Nguyen, 25, was due to be hanged at Changi Prison at 6am (9am AEST)
despite last-ditch bids for clemency to halt his execution.

More than 500 supporters gathered at St Ignatius Church, adjacent to
the primary school Nguyen and his brother, Khoa, attended. Some had
been there since 6am.

In Singapore, Nguyen's twin brother, Khoa, stood outside Changi Prison
as the deadline passed.

He was accompanied by his brother's former schoolmates Kelly Ng and
Bronwyn Lew, and lawyer Julian McMahon.

No immediate announcement is expected of the execution.

If Nguyen's execution proceeded as planned, a hearse would be sent to
Changi Prison to collect his body at about 11am local time (2pm AEDT).

Throughout the night, protesters arrived in pairs to drop off candles
at the gates to the prison's visitors' entrance before driving off.

Six to eight candles are sitting in various glass jars and holders
which have been placed right to the entrance.

Protests are rare in Singapore, where gatherings of more than a few
activists at a time are prohibited. Interestingly, there has been no
police prescence at the prison overnight, despite the activists'
presence.

Over the past hour, six to eight cars have entered the prison, a
modern, unassuming-looking complex.

From outside the complex, it's impossible to tell where the gallows

are.

School prayers

Mourners spent the last 5 minutes before 9am at St Ignatius Church,
Richmond in silence devoted to prayer.

At 9am sharp, the church bells rang 25 times - signifying "25 years of
a life taken too soon," Fr Norden said.

Many people inside and outside the church wept silently during the
tolling of the bells.

Afterward, Fr Norden thanked the congregation and said a farewell
prayer for Nguyen.

There are no vacant pews inside the church. All newcomers are standing
at the back and sides of the church.

The memorial service began at 8.30am and finished about 8.50am.

Douglas Wood, the Australian hostage freed in Iraq earlier this year
visited the church earlier this morning. Wood has previously called for
Nguyen's life to be spared.

Father Peter Norden told the congregation: "We come as friends, people
who know him and know his family ... all the parts in this tragedy."

Fr Norden spoke of Nguyen's birth in a refugee camp in Cambodia, and
paid tribute to the life he made for himself in Australia.

"Our prayers are with him this morning as he faces his fate with great
courage and great faith."

He also urged the congregation to strive to understand "the truth"
about capital punishment.

"The Christian church will stand in opposition to the taking of human
life because we believe in the dignity of all human life," he said.

"We know you cannot uphold the dignity of human life by taking the life
of another."


Candelight vigils

Candlelight vigils are being held around Australia this morning to mark
the execution of convicted drug trafficker Nguyen Tuong Van.

The 25-year-old will walk to the gallows at Singapore's Changi prison
at 9am.

Last night, as the sun sank on a scorching Melbourne day, about 1000
people carried flickering candles through the city down St Kilda Road
to mark the last hours of Van Nguyen's life.

In Canberra, the Australian Greens will host a silent vigil outside
Singapore's High Commission in Canberra to express their sorrow at
Nguyen's death.

In Singapore, the newly-formed Singapore Anti-Death Penalty Committee
said in a statement they "utterly deplore and condemn'' the hanging of
Nguyen Tuong Van, 25, as an "inhumane and barbaric punishment
disproportionate to his crime''.

Members of the group, including artists and professionals, gathered at
a 24-hour sidewalk cafe near Changi Prison.

They lit a candle atop an outdoor table on which pictures of Nguyen and
messages of sympathy were displayed.

Candles were also left at the gates of the prison, where foreign and
local journalists were camping out next to a television transmission
dish.

- theage.com.au, with AAP

[S***@aol.com]

***
This is an archive for our WorldCulture

(fwd)
http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2005/12/01/1133422073898.html?page=2

Bells toll for Nguyen
Email Print Normal font Large font Nguyen Tuong Van's twin, Khoa,
arrives at Singapore's Changi Prison ahead of his brother's hanging
this morning.
Photo: AP
Related coverage
Singaporean PM rules out pardon
Eloquent QC struggles to find words
Sympathy dries up as many back death for drugs
A slight dent in Singapore's armour
MULTIMEDIA Nguyen Tuong Van
VOTE Death penalty
AUDIO Deadline passes
Advertisement
AdvertisementBy Steve Butcher and Jesse Hogan
December 2, 2005 - 9:34AM
Page 2 of 2
Supporters of Nguyen Tuong Van wept openly at a memorial service in
Richmond this morning when church bells rang out to signify his
execution in Singapore.

Nguyen, 25, was due to be hanged at Changi Prison at 6am (9am AEST)
despite last-ditch bids for clemency to halt his execution.

More than 500 supporters gathered at St Ignatius Church, adjacent to
the primary school Nguyen and his brother, Khoa, attended. Some had
been there since 6am.

In Singapore, Nguyen's twin brother, Khoa, stood outside Changi Prison
as the deadline passed.

He was accompanied by his brother's former schoolmates Kelly Ng and
Bronwyn Lew, and lawyer Julian McMahon.

No immediate announcement is expected of the execution.

If Nguyen's execution proceeded as planned, a hearse would be sent to
Changi Prison to collect his body at about 11am local time (2pm AEDT).

Throughout the night, protesters arrived in pairs to drop off candles
at the gates to the prison's visitors' entrance before driving off.

Six to eight candles are sitting in various glass jars and holders
which have been placed right to the entrance.

Protests are rare in Singapore, where gatherings of more than a few
activists at a time are prohibited. Interestingly, there has been no
police prescence at the prison overnight, despite the activists'
presence.

Over the past hour, six to eight cars have entered the prison, a
modern, unassuming-looking complex.

From outside the complex, it's impossible to tell where the gallows

are.

School prayers

Mourners spent the last 5 minutes before 9am at St Ignatius Church,
Richmond in silence devoted to prayer.

At 9am sharp, the church bells rang 25 times - signifying "25 years of
a life taken too soon," Fr Norden said.

Many people inside and outside the church wept silently during the
tolling of the bells.

Afterward, Fr Norden thanked the congregation and said a farewell
prayer for Nguyen.

There are no vacant pews inside the church. All newcomers are standing
at the back and sides of the church.

The memorial service began at 8.30am and finished about 8.50am.

Douglas Wood, the Australian hostage freed in Iraq earlier this year
visited the church earlier this morning. Wood has previously called for
Nguyen's life to be spared.

Father Peter Norden told the congregation: "We come as friends, people
who know him and know his family ... all the parts in this tragedy."

Fr Norden spoke of Nguyen's birth in a refugee camp in Cambodia, and
paid tribute to the life he made for himself in Australia.

"Our prayers are with him this morning as he faces his fate with great
courage and great faith."

He also urged the congregation to strive to understand "the truth"
about capital punishment.

"The Christian church will stand in opposition to the taking of human
life because we believe in the dignity of all human life," he said.

"We know you cannot uphold the dignity of human life by taking the life
of another."


Candelight vigils

Candlelight vigils are being held around Australia this morning to mark
the execution of convicted drug trafficker Nguyen Tuong Van.

The 25-year-old will walk to the gallows at Singapore's Changi prison
at 9am.

Last night, as the sun sank on a scorching Melbourne day, about 1000
people carried flickering candles through the city down St Kilda Road
to mark the last hours of Van Nguyen's life.

In Canberra, the Australian Greens will host a silent vigil outside
Singapore's High Commission in Canberra to express their sorrow at
Nguyen's death.

In Singapore, the newly-formed Singapore Anti-Death Penalty Committee
said in a statement they "utterly deplore and condemn'' the hanging of
Nguyen Tuong Van, 25, as an "inhumane and barbaric punishment
disproportionate to his crime''.

Members of the group, including artists and professionals, gathered at
a 24-hour sidewalk cafe near Changi Prison.

They lit a candle atop an outdoor table on which pictures of Nguyen and
messages of sympathy were displayed.

Candles were also left at the gates of the prison, where foreign and
local journalists were camping out next to a television transmission
dish.

[S***@aol.com]

***

One day soon, Singapore will face with Fanatic Muslim terrorist
The world now changed rapidly

WHAT CAN THEY DO ?

(fwd)

Martin Place silent at execution
http://dailytelegraph.news.com.au/story/0,20281,17435520-5001021,00.html
December 02, 2005

SILENCE descended on the heart of Sydney today as several hundred
people gathered in Martin Place at the appointed hour of drug
trafficker Nguyen Tuong Van's execution.

The 25-year-old former Melbourne salesman walked to the gallows in
Singapore's Changi Prison at 6am local time 9am (AEDT) today.

Nguyen had been convicted and condemned to die after being arrested at
Changi Airport in late 2002 with almost 400 grams of heroin in his
possession.

It was a sombre scene at Martin Place this morning as men and women,
their heads bowed, sobbed and hugged each other as a gong was struck 25
times to mark each year of Nguyen's life.

Many in the crowd placed yellow gerberas under a framed picture of
Nguyen.
A large number of those present wore yellow ribbons and carried yellow
flowers, a universally symbolic gesture for clemency.

After a while, the crowd began to slowly drift away, but many paused to
sign a petition condemning the Singapore government what had
systematically rejected all appeals to spare Nguyen's life.

[Kiwioz]

Post by Lambada
Why Singaporeans are so willingly to kill the man
in the transit lounge air port with his heroin to carry
to Australia destinaton ? Let AU handle her own crime
by deport him back to AU according to international law

Singapore is a whore to the Burmese drug barons

This corrupt regime just stopped the man at random. They have to be seen
to be doing something by their "pure as snow" citizens.

[S***@aol.com]

***
When a kid pick a knife or gun of his/her father,
he thought he can handle it as will

British is Singapore's father

[S***@aol.com]

ADDITION

***

(fwd)

http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,3498901a10,00.html

T O P S T O R Y
RELATED LINKS
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LIGHT PUT OUT: Candlelight vigils were being held around Australia
this morning to mark the execution of convicted drug trafficker Nguyen
Tuong Van.
Reuters
Execution warning to young - Aussie PM
02 December 2005

CANBERRA: The execution of an Australian drug smuggler in Singapore
should serve as a warning to other young Australians, Prime Minister
John Howard said today as church bells tolled and tears were shed for
Nguyen Tuong Van.

Nugyen was hanged shortly before dawn in Singapore for smuggling 400
grams of heroin from Cambodia through the city-state's Changi airport
in 2002 in a case that has polarised and divided Australians.

"I hope the strongest message that comes out of this. . . is a message
to the young of Australia - don't have anything to do with drugs,
don't use them, don't touch them, don't carry them, don't traffic in
them," Howard told Australian radio.

"Don't imagine for a moment that you can risk carrying drugs anywhere
is Asia without suffering the most severe consequences." Howard said he
felt sympathy for Nguyen's mother and had been disappointed by
Singapore's "clinical response" to Australia's request that she be
allowed to hug her son before his death. Singapore only allowed
Nguyen's mother to hold his hand.

At the time of Nguyen's death, Howard said he was reflecting on the
moment in his office at Parliament House in Canberra.

About 70 people, including Australian politicians, gathered outside the
Singapore High Commission in Canberra with a banner reading "Oh
Singapore, how could you?" while protesters clutching flowers rallied
in Sydney and Melbourne.

Australian television networks crossed live to Changi Prison in
Singapore throughout the morning and to an emotional church service in
Melbourne where a bell tolled once for each of Nguyen's 25 years.

Several polls have shown that Australians have been divided over the
execution of Nguyen, who said he smuggled the drugs to try and pay off
a loan-shark debt for his brother in Australia.

"This is really the worst side of humanity - that cruel, negative
side that lurks there and that we keep down in the name of
civilisation," minority Greens leader Bob Brown said outside the
Singapore High Commission shortly before Nguyen's death.

"But it's come out today in the form of the Singaporean government and
their prime minister." Australian Attorney-General Philip Ruddock on
Thursday criticised the imposition of the death penalty and described
Nguyen's execution as an "unfortunate, barbaric act".

Singapore is one of Australia's strongest allies in Asia and Howard has
rejected calls for trade and military boycotts over the execution.
Australia made repeated calls for clemency for Nguyen.

Nobody has been hanged in Australia since 1967 and the death penalty
was abolished by states during the late 1960s and early 1970s.

[S***@aol.com]

MORE, archive of NTV, in REQUIEM of his death

(fwd)
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000081&sid=aSdAWfefSlXU&refer=australia

Australia & New Zealand

E-Mail This Story Printer-Friendly Format


S&P/ASX 200 Index Advances, led by BHP, Rio Tinto, on Record Copper
Prices

Australian Dollar Poised for Third Weekly Gain as Gold, Copper Price
Soars

BHP Billiton, Rio Share Price Targets Raised by UBS on Higher Gold,
Copper


Singapore Hangs Australian Drug Smuggler Nguyen (Update1)
Dec. 2 (Bloomberg) -- Singapore executed Australian drug smuggler
Nguyen Tuong Van today after rejecting requests from Australian Prime
Minister John Howard to spare his life.

The 25-year-old Australian citizen was hanged at Changi Prison this
morning, Singapore's Ministry of Home Affairs said in a statement
e-mailed to Bloomberg News. Church bells rang out in Nguyen's home town
of Melbourne at 9 a.m., when he was scheduled to be executed.

Singapore, which has a zero-tolerance policy toward drugs, sentenced
Nguyen to death after he was caught with 396 grams (14 ounces) of pure
heroin in 2002. His execution ignited an uproar in Australia, where
newspapers criticized Singapore for being authoritarian and consumers
called for boycotts of companies including Singapore Telecommunications
Ltd.'s Optus unit and Singapore Airlines Ltd.

``I don't believe in capital punishment and I hope the anti-drugs
message that comes from this is stronger, or at least as strong as the
capital punishment message,'' Howard told Melbourne radio station 3AW
today.

Nguyen failed in requests for clemency to the Court of Appeal and
Singapore President S.R. Nathan.

``We take a very serious view of drug trafficking; the penalty is
death,'' Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong told a news
conference in Berlin yesterday after a meeting with German Chancellor
Angela Merkel. ``In this case, it was an enormous amount of drugs.''

Street Value

Nguyen admitted to possessing the drugs, though he said they were not
intended for sale in Singapore. He claimed he was carrying the heroin
to Australia for a Sydney syndicate to help his twin brother Khoa, a
former addict, pay A$30,000 in debts.

The drugs had a street value of S$1.3 million ($770,000) and was enough
to supply 26,000 doses of heroin, Singapore's Ministry of Home Affairs
said today.

Khoa arrived at Changi Prison about 45 minutes before his brother's
scheduled execution, Australian Associated Press reported. Khoa and his
mother Kim were yesterday allowed to hold hands with Nguyen. Family
members are usually prohibited from physical contact with condemned
prisoners in Singapore.

Howard asked Singapore to spare Nguyen's life, and raised the issue in
a meeting with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in Malta on
Nov. 26.

Lee ``was left in no doubt as to the intensity of feeling within
Australia,'' Howard said, according to a transcript of the press
conference in Malta posted on his Web site.

Clemency Appeals

Appeals for clemency were also made by Australian opposition leader Kim
Beazley, Governor-General Michael Jeffery, the British Queen's
representative in Australia, Pope Benedict XVI and European Union
officials.

``We are deeply concerned,'' Frithjof Schmidt, a member of the European
Parliament, said during a visit to Singapore on Nov. 22. ``I would like
to appeal to Singapore not to execute him and go back to trial based on
international standards of human rights.''

``Singapore recognized that many Australians are disappointed with our
decision but Singapore also had to protect the interests and welfare of
our citizens,'' the city-state's government said in a Nov. 24
statement. ``The issue here was the right of a sovereign State to apply
its own laws to persons who had committed crimes within its
jurisdiction.''

Visitors to Singapore are reminded on most flights to the city, and on
their arrival at customs, that the country has strict penalties for
drug trafficking, and the arrival card notes those punishments include
death. Australia has abolished capital punishment.

Execution Rate

Singapore, a city of 4.3 million people, has the highest rate of
execution per capita in the world, according to Amnesty International.
It has a mandatory death penalty for drug trafficking, murder, treason
and certain firearms offences, and more than 420 people have been
executed since 1991, according to Tim Goodwin, coordinator of Amnesty
International's Asia Pacific Anti-Death Penalty Network.

Singapore's Deputy Prime Minister Wong Kan Seng said in an e-mailed
statement on Nov. 21 that the city-state plans to continue executing
criminals sentenced to death by hanging after studying other methods of
execution. Hanging is the execution style specified by law, he said, in
response to a question in parliament as to whether lethal injections
would be considered.

To contact the reporter on this story: Linus Chua in Singapore
***@bloomberg.net; Miriam Steffens in Sydney
at ***@bloomberg.net
Last Updated: December 1, 2005 18:52 EST

[S***@aol.com]

ARCHIVE

***
Lee Kuan Yew is happy with his wife on water bed ???

Dont eat too much British's SHIT

Thank you Sir !

(fwd) http://www.abc.net.au/am/content/2005/s1521345.htm

Sunrise heralds death for Van Nguyen PRINT FRIENDLY EMAIL STORY
AM - Friday, 2 December , 2005 08:00:00
Reporter: Shane McLeod
TONY EASTLEY: Within the hour a young Australian man will be led to the
gallows in Singapore.

Such is the nature of capital punishment that we know that 25-year old
Van Nguyen will die just before the sun rises over Changi jail this
morning, his life cut short by his drug smuggling and Singapore's
insistence on implementing the mandatory death penalty.

There'll be no obvious signs that the young man's life has ended. But
his family and friends will know. They've been watching the months and
the hours tick away. Soon it will be down to just a matter of minutes.

Van Nguyen's mother held her boy's hand yesterday before they parted
for the last time. Others said their goodbyes as well, including
Australian lawyer, Lex Lasry.

He told the ABC it was the hardest thing he'd ever had to do in his
career.

Any last minute stay of execution has been ruled out by Singapore's
Prime Minister.

Around Australia, candlelight vigils have been held and in Singapore
itself, human rights activists have been staging their own small
protests.

Our correspondent Shane McLeod reports from Singapore.

SHANE MCLEOD: In the darkness before dawn a small group of people is
gathered outside a kebab shop about 15 minutes drive from Changi
prison. They're the staging point for a vigil, one that's leaving
candles and cards outside the front gate of the jail as Van Nguyen's
execution draws nearer.

Nicholas Leong (phonetic) is one of them.

NICHOLAS LEONG: It's basically it. It's pretty grim, so... they're
trying to say that not all Singaporeans are, you know, like
monolithically behind this thing. Not everybody's thought about it
completely.

SHANE MCLEOD: The group is addressed by the leader of Singapore's tiny
political opposition, Dr Chee Soon Juan, who says that he hopes the
hanging of the 25-year old Melbourne man will not be in vain.

CHEE SOON JUAN: At this stage there's just no point talking about
saving Nguyen any more, but if his death is not going to be in vain, I
do want to ask everybody to be mindful of the fact that there are
others on the death row, they're going to face the same fate as Nguyen.


And if any good is going to come from his death, let it be that the
international community will now pay more attention to this extremely
serious problem that we have in Singapore, this mandatory death penalty
for small time drug peddlers.

SHANE MCLEOD: Outside the prison the candles flicker beside the front
gate, just near the visitors centre where Nguyen's mother, brother and
friends spent their final hours with him yesterday.

Inside the jail this morning, if Nguyen is not awake already, he'll
soon be woken by prison guards to begin the preparations for his
execution.

Leaving a candle at the gate is Jacob George, who says he and the other
members of his group wanted to show their support for the condemned
man.

JACOB GEORGE: Since 11:30 or so we have been placing candles every hour
on the hour. We intend to do that till 6 am. It's a symbolic way of
saying we are with Nguyen for the next few hours until he's executed at
6 am.

They're a diverse group of people, coming from different walks of life,
and they all came together on this issue of the death penalty,
concerned about what's happening... before there was Shanmugam
Murugesu, who was hanged in May, and before him there was Wiknis Muelti
(phonetic).

These people, even though... they should have had a second chance, they
were not hardened criminals, especially if we're talking about now,
specifically on Nguyen. It's his first serious offence, and it's... he
did commit a crime, he needs to be punished, but not to be hanged.

SHANE MCLEOD: The processes of the hanging are very much contained
within the walls of the jail. It's not even expected there will be any
official announcement that the execution has been done, just the
knowledge that by the time the sun rises, the man convicted of
smuggling nearly 400 grams of heroin through the nearby Changi Airport
will be dead.

This is Shane McLeod in Singapore for AM.

[Craig Welch]

Post by Lambada
***
Why Singaporeans are so willingly to kill the man
in the transit lounge air port with his heroin to carry
to Australia destinaton ? Let AU handle her own crime
by deport him back to AU according to international law

Which international law?

He was arrested on Singapore soil.

[LDL]

Post by Lambada
***
Why Singaporeans are so willingly to kill the man
in the transit lounge air port with his heroin to carry
to Australia destinaton ? Let AU handle her own crime
by deport him back to AU according to international law

Umm who originally broke the law of Singapore?

You might consider it a barbaric law that approves of execution - no matter
how it is performed - but just like the government of the state of Victoria
says of it's speeding fines....Well, they won't be applied unless you commit
the offense!! Stay on the right side of the law and you have no problem.

Post by Lambada
By now, Mr Nguen Tuong Van is near to death by
the Humanity Law of Singapore of hanging. I light a candle for
him, may peace and God be with you

That is nice that you light a candle for him. Have you lit a candle for
those who died for drug overdose when those traffickers prey on their
miseries profiting on their continuing addiction?

Post by Lambada
WORLD NEWS
http://www.thecouriermail.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5936,17432290%255E954,00.html
back PRINT-FRIENDLY VERSION EMAIL THIS STORY
COMPOSED and thinking good things . . . Nguyen Tuong Van.
Mum held Nguyen's hand for last time
Jamie Walker in Singapore
02dec05
NGUYEN Tuong Van was due to be woken by his guards at 4am today in
Singapore's Changi Prison.
But with only hours of his young life left, it was doubtful the
Melbourne man would have slept at all.
The countdown to his execution at 8am Queensland time was to begin with
Nguyen showering and being served a simple breakfast of bread, fruit
and coffee. A Catholic priest was due to come to his cell to pray with
him.
methodically, with almost sterile efficiency.
The one comfort he was permitted yesterday was to hold hands with his
heartbroken mother, Kim, and twin brother, Khoa.
Mrs Nguyen had wanted to hug her son, but her request for physical
contact was rejected because the Singaporeans consider it to be too
destabilising. Only after an appeal by Prime Minister John Howard, did
local authorities agree to allow the condemned man to touch hands with
his mother, a pitifully sad gesture of goodbye.
As is the practice in Singapore, no outside witnesses were to be
present at Nguyen's hanging.
His lawyers Lex Lasry, QC, and Julian McMahon continued to fight to the
bitter end, making last-ditch pleas to senior Singaporean Government
officials yesterday in a seemingly futile effort to secure a reprieve.
After his final visit with Nguyen, an emotional Mr Lasry said: "I think
the thing that strikes me about this is that we are looking into the
eyes of a healthy, 25-year-old man with so much to offer, who is going
to die a violent death."
Mr McMahon described Nguyen's state of mind as "beautiful" and said he
was cheerful and composed.
"He only wishes to think good thoughts, say good things and do what is
right," Mr McMahon said.
"He is completely rehabilitated, completely reformed, completely
focused on doing what is good and now they are going to kill him."
Nguyen said farewell to his mother, brother, and school friends,
Bronwyn Lew and Kelly Ng, in a four-hour meeting yesterday before being
returned to his isolation cell.
Mrs Nguyen left the jail, her head covered by a white scarf.
She was escorted to a waiting car, along with Khoa, by Australian
embassy officials who wrapped their arms around the distraught woman.
It was the last time she was to see her condemned son.
Local lawyer and anti-death penalty campaigner M. Ravi said Nguyen's
legal team should have still applied to a court to give Mrs Nguyen the
comfort of hugging her son.
"No judge in Singapore would stop a mother from doing that," he said.
"The courts are not that cruel."
Mr Ravi has had two clients executed under Singapore's mandatory death
policy for hard drug trafficking and knows the routine of those final
harrowing hours on Changi's death row.
Nguyen has been in Changi for the past three years since he was
arrested with almost 400g of heroin. He had been trying to board a
Qantas flight to Melbourne with the drugs strapped to his body and
inside his hand luggage, but it was discovered as he walked through a
metal detector.
Baring the near-miracle of a death's-door reprieve, Nguyen would be
dressed in standard prison garb of white shirt and shorts before being
taken to a holding cell about 20m from the gallows.
As dawn broke, he would have been told it was time.
A black hood would be pulled over his head and his hands cuffed behind
his back.
Four guards would have escorted him to the gallows where, according to
Mr Ravi, a nylon noose was to be fitted around his neck.
Between 6 and 6.30am (local time), justice Singapore-style would have
been done.
========
NATIONAL NEWS
http://www.thecouriermail.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5936,17431929%255E953,00.html
back PRINT-FRIENDLY VERSION EMAIL THIS STORY
OVERCOME . . . a distraught Kim Nguyen is comforted by Liz Lasry, wife
of lawyer Lex Lasry, after visiiting for the last time her condemned
son Tuong Van Nguyen at Singapore's Changi Prison yesterday.
Nguyen hanging to traumatise guards
Russell Robinson in Singapore
02dec05
GUARDS on death row in Singapore's Changi prison will be "very upset"
by the execution of Nguyen Tuong Van, according to the lawyer of the
convicted Melbourne drug trafficker.
Lex Lasry, QC, said the guards had cared for Nguyen and treated him
like a son.
"They're going to be very upset," he said.
"They work in death row on the ground and they feel it. Van and these
men have a great relationship and I've seen evidence of it during the
course of our visits.
"Yesterday, a couple of prison officers arrived with a bag of food for
him, which was chocolates and those sorts of things. That's the way
they try to bestow some sort of privileges on him."
Nguyen was to be executed at 6am (8am Queensland time) today, after
spending his final night praying with a priest.
"He loves the 23rd Psalm and that will figure in the last hours," Mr
Lasry said.
"He's determined to go out with strength and optimism."
Speaking just hours after paying his last visit with Nguyen, Mr Lasry
said the young Australian would not be shackled when taken to the
gallows.
"He'll walk to the gallows and he'll walk confidently," he said.
"He'll have Rosary beads and he'll have people with him. He genuinely
thinks he's going somewhere good."
Nguyen's body will be taken from the prison several hours after the
execution, when he is pronounced dead and a formal identification of
the body is made.
A special vehicle, arranged by the Australian embassy and his lawyers,
will then take Nguyen's body out of the prison to prepare for the
flight home to Melbourne where a special funeral service will be held.
Mr Lasry last night reflected on his relationship with the client he
and their supporters simply call Van. He said Nguyen had been spending
considerable time writing letters to his family, friends and
supporters.
"His cell, which he calls his room, is filled with photographs and
writing gear all around," Mr Lasry said.
"He told Julian McMahon (his other Melbourne lawyer) that he measures
his time in jail by the time that a Biro lasts, which is 16 to 18 days.
"Of course, that's over."
His twin brother Khoa spent considerable time visiting him yesterday,
wearing all-white clothes, the traditional symbol of mourning.
When he was arrested three years ago with almost 400g of heroin
strapped to his body and inside his hand luggage, Nguyen claimed he had
acted as a drug mule to help pay Khoa's debts.
Yesterday, Mr Lasry said Khoa, who has maintained his silence, was
feeling "somewhat solitary" and wanting some time to himself.
"It must be terribly difficult for him, particularly as he looks to his
future and particularly being a twin," he said. "I think the wrench
that will be involved in the death of his brother will be amazing."
Mr Lasry said before the trial he offered to plead to a charge which
would have given Nguyen more than 20 years behind bars.
"For a boy of 22, it's a pretty savage sentence, and it's way in excess
of any sentence a judge would impose in Australia," he said. "And the
fact it's in Singapore doesn't make it right."

[S***@aol.com]

Post by LDL
That is nice that you light a candle for him. Have you lit a candle for

those who died for drug overdose when those traffickers prey on their
miseries profiting on their continuing addiction?

***
Oh yeah, does Singhangpore hang them too ?
Will pray and have candles

Your Singhangpore's laws are shit, yous guys caning men
but wowen ??? Hmmmm

Send all of your Goverment staffs include Lee Kan Yew
to check blood, betcha, 50% of them are dopper

I consider the peoples walking on your street got caned
because they sneezing, can trasmit desease or spit
out phlegms as litter .... Sometimes, I saw your fisher man
in the poor village shit and pee right on the water, what
will you do ??? foods for fish ???

[Lambada]

(fwd)

Mixed reaction to Singapore, U.S. executions

Friday, December 2, 2005 Posted: 1857 GMT (0257 HKT)


Nguyen was convicted of smuggling 396 grams of heroin from Cambodia
through Singapore's Changi airport in 2002.
WATCH Browse/Search
http://edition.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/asiapcf/12/02/singapore.execution.reaction.ap/

Australian was hanged in Singapore for trafficking heroin (2:51)
SINGAPORE (AP) -- The executions Friday of an Australian heroin
trafficker in Singapore, and a murderer in the United States -- the
1,000th since capital punishment was resumed there in 1977 -- revived
international debate about the death penalty.

Advocates in countries with the death penalty said it was a form of
"shock therapy" that provided an effective deterrent, while opponents
said it was a cruel punishment that ignored hope for rehabilitation of
a criminal.

Malaysia's Foreign Minister supported Singapore's decision to execute
drug trafficker Nguyen Tuong Van.

"The death penalty meted out by the Singapore court is in accordance
with the laws. We cannot interfere in what another country is doing,"
Syed Hamid Albar told The Associated Press.

Vietnam-born Nguyen Tuong Van, 25, was hanged before dawn Friday
despite numerous appeals from Australian leaders for his life to be
spared. He received a mandatory death sentence after being caught with
396 grams (14 ounces) of heroin at the city-state's Changi Airport in
2002, en route from Cambodia to Australia.

His execution triggered an outcry in Australia, which scrapped the
death penalty in 1973. Prime Minister John Howard warned Nguyen's
execution would harm links between the people of Australia and
Singapore.

Malaysia imposed mandatory capital punishment on drug trafficking in
1975 and has hanged more than 200 people since then.

In Australia, Amnesty International's Anti-Death Penalty Coordinator
condemned the execution in a statement.

"It is a particularly cruel twist that this execution will not protect
Singapore against the drug trade, said the coordinator, Tim Goodwin.
"In capital cities and regional centers across the nation, thousands of
people this morning paused to acknowledge the tragic killing of this
young Australian."

Hours after Nguyen's execution, a double murderer who said he didn't
want to be known as a number became the 1,000th person executed in the
United States since capital punishment resumed 28 years ago.

Kenneth Lee Boyd, who brazenly gunned down his estranged wife and
father-in-law 17 years earlier, died after receiving a lethal injection
in North Carolina.

Law enforcement officials said justice had been served, but activists
said they hoped his death would boost efforts to abolish the death
penalty.

"Maybe Kenneth Boyd won't have died in vain, in a way, because I
believe the more people think about the death penalty and are exposed
to it, the more they don't like it," said Stephen Dear, executive
director of People of Faith Against the Death Penalty.

Singapore says its tough laws and penalties for drug trafficking are an
effective deterrent against a crime that ruins lives, and that
foreigners and Singaporeans must be treated alike. It said Nguyen's
appeals for clemency were carefully considered.

China has received international criticism for its use of the death
penalty, and Indonesia routinely sentences murderers and drug
traffickers to death. At present, some 65 people are awaiting execution
by firing squad, more than half of them for narcotics offenses. Many of
them come from other Asian nations and Africa.

Indonesian officials did not comment directly on the executions in
Singapore and the United States.

But Mashudi Ridwan, spokesman at the Attorney General's office, said
Indonesia sees the death sentence as a strong warning to drug
traffickers and other criminals.

"We consider it 'shock therapy," he said. "It shows that the government
is serious when it comes to fighting crime."

[Lambada]

(fwd) http://www.wtopnews.com/index.php?nid=105&sid=637051

See image of his coffin =
Loading Image...
WTOP


December 2nd, 2005Singapore Execution Disturbs Australia
Dec 2nd - 10:05pm

By CHRISTOPHER TORCHIA
Associated Press Writer

SINGAPORE (AP) - Singapore executed an Australian heroin trafficker on
Friday despite a warning by Australia's prime minister that the hanging
would sour relations between their countries.

Undertaker staff adjust the body of Ngyuen Tuong Van who was executed
earlier Friday Dec. 2, 2005 at the Singapore Changi Prison. His body
was then brought to a funeral parlor in which he was embalmed and
dressed before moving to a chapel for afternoon mass in Singapore. The
Singapore Government rejected repeated appeals for Nguyen's life to be
spared despite clemency appeals by Canberra, after being convicted for
trafficking almost 400grams of Heroin while in transit from Cambodia to
Australia at Singapore's Changi Airport in year 2002. (AP Photo/Wong
Maye-E) Article Tools

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AIM
The case has caused an outcry in Australia where opponents of the
execution held vigils in cities around the country, with bells and
gongs sounding 25 times at the hour of the execution.

"I just think it's barbaric, it's wrong, it's disturbing," said
Elizabeth Welch, a 54-year-old counselor at a vigil in Sydney.

Vietnam-born Nguyen Tuong Van, 25, was hanged before dawn despite
numerous appeals from Australian leaders for his life to be spared. He
received a mandatory death sentence after he was caught with 14 ounces
of heroin at the city-state's Changi Airport in 2002, en route from
Cambodia to Australia.


Nguyen's death came amid fresh debate about capital punishment in the
United States, where North Carolina's governor denied clemency to a man
who killed his wife and father-in-law. Kenneth Lee Boyd was executed by
lethal injection early Friday in the 1,000th execution in the United
States since the death penalty resumed in 1977.

Australian Prime Minister John Howard said his government would not
take diplomatic action against Singapore. But he said the execution
will affect relations "on a people-to-people, population-to-population
basis."

Dressed in black, a dozen friends and supporters stood outside the
maximum-security Changi Prison hours before the 6 a.m. hanging. Candles
and handwritten notes containing sympathetic messages and calls for an
end to Singapore's death penalty were placed outside the prison gates.


Nguyen's twin brother, Nguyen Khoa, entered the prison compound, but
did not attend the execution. As he left, he hugged a prison officer
and shook the hand of another. Nguyen Tuong Van had said he was
trafficking heroin to help pay off his twin's debts.


Singapore says its tough laws and penalties for drug trafficking are an
effective deterrent against a crime that ruins lives, and that
foreigners and Singaporeans must be treated alike. It said Nguyen's
appeals for clemency were carefully considered.


"We take a very serious view of drug trafficking _ the penalty is
death," Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said Thursday during a visit to
Germany.

Nguyen was caught with more than 26 times the 0.53 ounces of heroin
that draws a mandatory death penalty. The Home Affairs Ministry
statement said the amount was enough to supply 26,000 doses of heroin,
and had a street value of nearly $800,000.

Australia scrapped the death penalty in 1973 and hanged its last
criminal in 1967, while Singapore has executed more than 100 people for
drug-related offenses since 1999.

According to local media, Singapore has granted clemency to six inmates
on death row _ all Singaporeans _ since independence in 1965.

A private Mass was held for Nguyen at a chapel on the grounds of a
Roman Catholic convent. He was to be buried in Melbourne.

Physical contact between Nguyen and visitors had been barred in past
days. But one of his Australian lawyers, Julian McMahon, said Nguyen's
mother, Kim, had been allowed to hold her son's hand and touch his face
during her last visit on Thursday.

"That was a great comfort to her," McMahon said.
Nguyen's supporters outside the prison included Gopalan and Krishnan
Murugesu, teenage twin brothers whose father, Shanmugam, was executed
in May after he was caught with 2.2 pounds of marijuana on Aug. 29,
2003, as he returned from Malaysia by motorcycle.
___
Associated Press writer Gillian Wong contributed to this report.

[LDL]

Post by LDL

Post by LDL
That is nice that you light a candle for him. Have you lit a candle for

those who died for drug overdose when those traffickers prey on their
miseries profiting on their continuing addiction?
***
Oh yeah, does Singhangpore hang them too ?
Will pray and have candles
Your Singhangpore's laws are shit, yous guys caning men
but wowen ??? Hmmmm

If you are referring to the American boy, I would be pretty pissed off if
some teenage thug spray painted my car with many other and a wall too.

Post by LDL
Send all of your Goverment staffs include Lee Kan Yew
to check blood, betcha, 50% of them are dopper
I consider the peoples walking on your street got caned
because they sneezing, can trasmit desease or spit
out phlegms as litter .... Sometimes, I saw your fisher man
in the poor village shit and pee right on the water, what
will you do ??? foods for fish ???

Now you're being silly.

[S***@aol.com]

Post by LDL
If you are referring to the American boy, I would be pretty pissed off if

some teenage thug spray painted my car with many other and a wall too

***
Ask for compensation, I my self dont like people vandalise my house
or graffiti the city wall, catch them, ask for compensate

Post by LDL
Now you're being silly.

Your Singhangpore's law is a joke of 21st century
Dont caned your kids and expect them to be good student

Okie

[LDL]

Post by LDL

Post by LDL
If you are referring to the American boy, I would be pretty pissed off if

some teenage thug spray painted my car with many other and a wall too
***
Ask for compensation, I my self dont like people vandalise my house
or graffiti the city wall, catch them, ask for compensate

There is a thing called consequences. To many western families have more
dollars than sense just hands out a cheque and that will be all. The
teenager needs to be taught respect for other people's property and that a
chequebook will not facilitate.

I can easily see why western people are getting themselves in touble in
Asia.

Post by LDL

Post by LDL
Now you're being silly.

Your Singhangpore's law is a joke of 21st century
Dont caned your kids and expect them to be good student

All you have to do is stay on the right side of the law. Is there a problem
with that?

If western people don't like their children getting caned, then teach them
the consequences for any criminal act, how to act as a guest in another
country or don't go to Singapore.

Post by LDL
Okie

[hillaryC]

We will continue to kill any men on transit with drugs, Aussie or otherwise.
Don't you shit when we catch you with those drugs, you bastard son of a drug
bitch.

Post by Lambada
***
Why Singaporeans are so willingly to kill the man
in the transit lounge air port with his heroin to carry
to Australia destinaton ? Let AU handle her own crime
by deport him back to AU according to international law
By now, Mr Nguen Tuong Van is near to death by
the Humanity Law of Singapore of hanging. I light a candle for
him, may peace and God be with you
(fwd)
WORLD NEWS

http://www.thecouriermail.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5936,17432290%255E
954,00.html

Post by Lambada
back PRINT-FRIENDLY VERSION EMAIL THIS STORY
COMPOSED and thinking good things . . . Nguyen Tuong Van.
Mum held Nguyen's hand for last time
Jamie Walker in Singapore
02dec05
NGUYEN Tuong Van was due to be woken by his guards at 4am today in
Singapore's Changi Prison.
But with only hours of his young life left, it was doubtful the
Melbourne man would have slept at all.
The countdown to his execution at 8am Queensland time was to begin with
Nguyen showering and being served a simple breakfast of bread, fruit
and coffee. A Catholic priest was due to come to his cell to pray with
him.
methodically, with almost sterile efficiency.
The one comfort he was permitted yesterday was to hold hands with his
heartbroken mother, Kim, and twin brother, Khoa.
Mrs Nguyen had wanted to hug her son, but her request for physical
contact was rejected because the Singaporeans consider it to be too
destabilising. Only after an appeal by Prime Minister John Howard, did
local authorities agree to allow the condemned man to touch hands with
his mother, a pitifully sad gesture of goodbye.
As is the practice in Singapore, no outside witnesses were to be
present at Nguyen's hanging.
His lawyers Lex Lasry, QC, and Julian McMahon continued to fight to the
bitter end, making last-ditch pleas to senior Singaporean Government
officials yesterday in a seemingly futile effort to secure a reprieve.
After his final visit with Nguyen, an emotional Mr Lasry said: "I think
the thing that strikes me about this is that we are looking into the
eyes of a healthy, 25-year-old man with so much to offer, who is going
to die a violent death."
Mr McMahon described Nguyen's state of mind as "beautiful" and said he
was cheerful and composed.
"He only wishes to think good thoughts, say good things and do what is
right," Mr McMahon said.
"He is completely rehabilitated, completely reformed, completely
focused on doing what is good and now they are going to kill him."
Nguyen said farewell to his mother, brother, and school friends,
Bronwyn Lew and Kelly Ng, in a four-hour meeting yesterday before being
returned to his isolation cell.
Mrs Nguyen left the jail, her head covered by a white scarf.
She was escorted to a waiting car, along with Khoa, by Australian
embassy officials who wrapped their arms around the distraught woman.
It was the last time she was to see her condemned son.
Local lawyer and anti-death penalty campaigner M. Ravi said Nguyen's
legal team should have still applied to a court to give Mrs Nguyen the
comfort of hugging her son.
"No judge in Singapore would stop a mother from doing that," he said.
"The courts are not that cruel."
Mr Ravi has had two clients executed under Singapore's mandatory death
policy for hard drug trafficking and knows the routine of those final
harrowing hours on Changi's death row.
Nguyen has been in Changi for the past three years since he was
arrested with almost 400g of heroin. He had been trying to board a
Qantas flight to Melbourne with the drugs strapped to his body and
inside his hand luggage, but it was discovered as he walked through a
metal detector.
Baring the near-miracle of a death's-door reprieve, Nguyen would be
dressed in standard prison garb of white shirt and shorts before being
taken to a holding cell about 20m from the gallows.
As dawn broke, he would have been told it was time.
A black hood would be pulled over his head and his hands cuffed behind
his back.
Four guards would have escorted him to the gallows where, according to
Mr Ravi, a nylon noose was to be fitted around his neck.
Between 6 and 6.30am (local time), justice Singapore-style would have
been done.
========
NATIONAL NEWS

http://www.thecouriermail.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5936,17431929%255E
953,00.html

Post by Lambada
back PRINT-FRIENDLY VERSION EMAIL THIS STORY
OVERCOME . . . a distraught Kim Nguyen is comforted by Liz Lasry, wife
of lawyer Lex Lasry, after visiiting for the last time her condemned
son Tuong Van Nguyen at Singapore's Changi Prison yesterday.
Nguyen hanging to traumatise guards
Russell Robinson in Singapore
02dec05
GUARDS on death row in Singapore's Changi prison will be "very upset"
by the execution of Nguyen Tuong Van, according to the lawyer of the
convicted Melbourne drug trafficker.
Lex Lasry, QC, said the guards had cared for Nguyen and treated him
like a son.
"They're going to be very upset," he said.
"They work in death row on the ground and they feel it. Van and these
men have a great relationship and I've seen evidence of it during the
course of our visits.
"Yesterday, a couple of prison officers arrived with a bag of food for
him, which was chocolates and those sorts of things. That's the way
they try to bestow some sort of privileges on him."
Nguyen was to be executed at 6am (8am Queensland time) today, after
spending his final night praying with a priest.
"He loves the 23rd Psalm and that will figure in the last hours," Mr
Lasry said.
"He's determined to go out with strength and optimism."
Speaking just hours after paying his last visit with Nguyen, Mr Lasry
said the young Australian would not be shackled when taken to the
gallows.
"He'll walk to the gallows and he'll walk confidently," he said.
"He'll have Rosary beads and he'll have people with him. He genuinely
thinks he's going somewhere good."
Nguyen's body will be taken from the prison several hours after the
execution, when he is pronounced dead and a formal identification of
the body is made.
A special vehicle, arranged by the Australian embassy and his lawyers,
will then take Nguyen's body out of the prison to prepare for the
flight home to Melbourne where a special funeral service will be held.
Mr Lasry last night reflected on his relationship with the client he
and their supporters simply call Van. He said Nguyen had been spending
considerable time writing letters to his family, friends and
supporters.
"His cell, which he calls his room, is filled with photographs and
writing gear all around," Mr Lasry said.
"He told Julian McMahon (his other Melbourne lawyer) that he measures
his time in jail by the time that a Biro lasts, which is 16 to 18 days.
"Of course, that's over."
His twin brother Khoa spent considerable time visiting him yesterday,
wearing all-white clothes, the traditional symbol of mourning.
When he was arrested three years ago with almost 400g of heroin
strapped to his body and inside his hand luggage, Nguyen claimed he had
acted as a drug mule to help pay Khoa's debts.
Yesterday, Mr Lasry said Khoa, who has maintained his silence, was
feeling "somewhat solitary" and wanting some time to himself.
"It must be terribly difficult for him, particularly as he looks to his
future and particularly being a twin," he said. "I think the wrench
that will be involved in the death of his brother will be amazing."
Mr Lasry said before the trial he offered to plead to a charge which
would have given Nguyen more than 20 years behind bars.
"For a boy of 22, it's a pretty savage sentence, and it's way in excess
of any sentence a judge would impose in Australia," he said. "And the
fact it's in Singapore doesn't make it right."

[Cholesterol]

Yeah, I had to say that I agree. No one and absolutely no one, not even
Howard or Bush! LOL
Seriously, have anyone heard of the Thai king actually got to persuade his
fellow poppies plant farmers up in the north to switch to other commodities
like corn and things good for the society and the world?

Post by hillaryC
We will continue to kill any men on transit with drugs, Aussie or otherwise.
Don't you shit when we catch you with those drugs, you bastard son of a drug
bitch.

Post by Lambada
***
Why Singaporeans are so willingly to kill the man
in the transit lounge air port with his heroin to carry
to Australia destinaton ? Let AU handle her own crime
by deport him back to AU according to international law
By now, Mr Nguen Tuong Van is near to death by
the Humanity Law of Singapore of hanging. I light a candle for
him, may peace and God be with you
(fwd)
WORLD NEWS

http://www.thecouriermail.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5936,17432290%255E
954,00.html

Post by Lambada
back PRINT-FRIENDLY VERSION EMAIL THIS STORY
COMPOSED and thinking good things . . . Nguyen Tuong Van.
Mum held Nguyen's hand for last time
Jamie Walker in Singapore
02dec05
NGUYEN Tuong Van was due to be woken by his guards at 4am today in
Singapore's Changi Prison.
But with only hours of his young life left, it was doubtful the
Melbourne man would have slept at all.
The countdown to his execution at 8am Queensland time was to begin with
Nguyen showering and being served a simple breakfast of bread, fruit
and coffee. A Catholic priest was due to come to his cell to pray with
him.
methodically, with almost sterile efficiency.
The one comfort he was permitted yesterday was to hold hands with his
heartbroken mother, Kim, and twin brother, Khoa.
Mrs Nguyen had wanted to hug her son, but her request for physical
contact was rejected because the Singaporeans consider it to be too
destabilising. Only after an appeal by Prime Minister John Howard, did
local authorities agree to allow the condemned man to touch hands with
his mother, a pitifully sad gesture of goodbye.
As is the practice in Singapore, no outside witnesses were to be
present at Nguyen's hanging.
His lawyers Lex Lasry, QC, and Julian McMahon continued to fight to the
bitter end, making last-ditch pleas to senior Singaporean Government
officials yesterday in a seemingly futile effort to secure a reprieve.
After his final visit with Nguyen, an emotional Mr Lasry said: "I think
the thing that strikes me about this is that we are looking into the
eyes of a healthy, 25-year-old man with so much to offer, who is going
to die a violent death."
Mr McMahon described Nguyen's state of mind as "beautiful" and said he
was cheerful and composed.
"He only wishes to think good thoughts, say good things and do what is
right," Mr McMahon said.
"He is completely rehabilitated, completely reformed, completely
focused on doing what is good and now they are going to kill him."
Nguyen said farewell to his mother, brother, and school friends,
Bronwyn Lew and Kelly Ng, in a four-hour meeting yesterday before being
returned to his isolation cell.
Mrs Nguyen left the jail, her head covered by a white scarf.
She was escorted to a waiting car, along with Khoa, by Australian
embassy officials who wrapped their arms around the distraught woman.
It was the last time she was to see her condemned son.
Local lawyer and anti-death penalty campaigner M. Ravi said Nguyen's
legal team should have still applied to a court to give Mrs Nguyen the
comfort of hugging her son.
"No judge in Singapore would stop a mother from doing that," he said.
"The courts are not that cruel."
Mr Ravi has had two clients executed under Singapore's mandatory death
policy for hard drug trafficking and knows the routine of those final
harrowing hours on Changi's death row.
Nguyen has been in Changi for the past three years since he was
arrested with almost 400g of heroin. He had been trying to board a
Qantas flight to Melbourne with the drugs strapped to his body and
inside his hand luggage, but it was discovered as he walked through a
metal detector.
Baring the near-miracle of a death's-door reprieve, Nguyen would be
dressed in standard prison garb of white shirt and shorts before being
taken to a holding cell about 20m from the gallows.
As dawn broke, he would have been told it was time.
A black hood would be pulled over his head and his hands cuffed behind
his back.
Four guards would have escorted him to the gallows where, according to
Mr Ravi, a nylon noose was to be fitted around his neck.
Between 6 and 6.30am (local time), justice Singapore-style would have
been done.
========
NATIONAL NEWS

http://www.thecouriermail.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5936,17431929%255E
953,00.html

Post by Lambada
back PRINT-FRIENDLY VERSION EMAIL THIS STORY
OVERCOME . . . a distraught Kim Nguyen is comforted by Liz Lasry, wife
of lawyer Lex Lasry, after visiiting for the last time her condemned
son Tuong Van Nguyen at Singapore's Changi Prison yesterday.
Nguyen hanging to traumatise guards
Russell Robinson in Singapore
02dec05
GUARDS on death row in Singapore's Changi prison will be "very upset"
by the execution of Nguyen Tuong Van, according to the lawyer of the
convicted Melbourne drug trafficker.
Lex Lasry, QC, said the guards had cared for Nguyen and treated him
like a son.
"They're going to be very upset," he said.
"They work in death row on the ground and they feel it. Van and these
men have a great relationship and I've seen evidence of it during the
course of our visits.
"Yesterday, a couple of prison officers arrived with a bag of food for
him, which was chocolates and those sorts of things. That's the way
they try to bestow some sort of privileges on him."
Nguyen was to be executed at 6am (8am Queensland time) today, after
spending his final night praying with a priest.
"He loves the 23rd Psalm and that will figure in the last hours," Mr
Lasry said.
"He's determined to go out with strength and optimism."
Speaking just hours after paying his last visit with Nguyen, Mr Lasry
said the young Australian would not be shackled when taken to the
gallows.
"He'll walk to the gallows and he'll walk confidently," he said.
"He'll have Rosary beads and he'll have people with him. He genuinely
thinks he's going somewhere good."
Nguyen's body will be taken from the prison several hours after the
execution, when he is pronounced dead and a formal identification of
the body is made.
A special vehicle, arranged by the Australian embassy and his lawyers,
will then take Nguyen's body out of the prison to prepare for the
flight home to Melbourne where a special funeral service will be held.
Mr Lasry last night reflected on his relationship with the client he
and their supporters simply call Van. He said Nguyen had been spending
considerable time writing letters to his family, friends and
supporters.
"His cell, which he calls his room, is filled with photographs and
writing gear all around," Mr Lasry said.
"He told Julian McMahon (his other Melbourne lawyer) that he measures
his time in jail by the time that a Biro lasts, which is 16 to 18 days.
"Of course, that's over."
His twin brother Khoa spent considerable time visiting him yesterday,
wearing all-white clothes, the traditional symbol of mourning.
When he was arrested three years ago with almost 400g of heroin
strapped to his body and inside his hand luggage, Nguyen claimed he had
acted as a drug mule to help pay Khoa's debts.
Yesterday, Mr Lasry said Khoa, who has maintained his silence, was
feeling "somewhat solitary" and wanting some time to himself.
"It must be terribly difficult for him, particularly as he looks to his
future and particularly being a twin," he said. "I think the wrench
that will be involved in the death of his brother will be amazing."
Mr Lasry said before the trial he offered to plead to a charge which
would have given Nguyen more than 20 years behind bars.
"For a boy of 22, it's a pretty savage sentence, and it's way in excess
of any sentence a judge would impose in Australia," he said. "And the
fact it's in Singapore doesn't make it right."

[S***@aol.com]

***
Wish you kill your self, and hang Mr> Lee Quan Yew for me, he smokes
Opium muchacho
Loading Image...
Okie

(fwd)

Body of executed Australian arrives home
Sun Dec 4, 2005 2:05 AM GMT
Printer Friendly | Email Article | RSS

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australian Prime Minister John Howard backed away
from initiating a campaign to try to end the death penalty in Asia, as
the family and lawyers of an Australian drug trafficker executed in
Singapore arrived home with his body.

The plane carrying Nguyen Tuong Van's coffin landed in Melbourne early
on Sunday morning, along with Nguyen's mother Kim and twin brother
Khoa.

The 25-year-old was hanged on Friday for carrying 400 grams (0.9 lb) of
heroin while in transit in Singapore three years ago.

His lawyer, Lex Lasry, told reporters in Singapore he would urge the
Australian government to take the lead to campaign for the abolishment
of the death penalty in the region.

"We will ask the government to formalise a strong policy so Australia
can take the lead, especially in this region, against the death penalty
and in particular against the mandatory death penalty," Lasry said at
Singapore's Changi Airport.

However, Howard said it was important to be realistic about what could
be achieved.

"If anyone imagines a diplomatic offensive by Australia is going to
change the attitude of China, or the attitude of Singapore or Malaysia
or other countries in the region to capital punishment, then I think
they are mistaken," he said on Australian Broadcasting Corp.
television.

"Let us practise what we believe in Australia, let us argue that case
for the benefit of Australians overseas, but let us keep some sense of
proportion."

MANDATORY DEATH PENALTY

Nguyen's execution put a spotlight on Singapore's death penalty, which
dictates automatic execution for anyone over 18 convicted of carrying
more than 15 grams (0.5 ounces) of heroin.

Lasry condemned Singapore's use of the mandatory death penalty and
called for the city-state to review its laws.

"Singapore is going to have to understand that a first-world country
cannot continue to hang people without giving them a chance to say why
they should not be executed."

Nguyen, born in a refugee camp in Thailand, had said he was carrying
drugs to help pay off his brother's debts from loan sharks.

Australian television networks crossed live to Changi prison on Friday
morning and also to an emotional church service in Melbourne where a
bell tolled once for each of Nguyen's 25 years.

Australian Attorney-General Philip Ruddock described Nguyen's execution
as an "unfortunate, barbaric act", but several polls have shown that
Australians have been divided over the execution.

Singapore leaders and activists are sceptical that Singapore, described
by rights group Amnesty International as having one of the highest
execution rates in the world relative to its population, will repeal
its austere laws.

"I can confidently say he will not be the last to be hanged," said
opposition politician Steve Chia at a forum held on Saturday by civil
rights group Think Centre.

"Most Singaporeans are too caught up in making a decent living to care
about one convicted trafficker in our society," said Chia, who is also
a nominated member of parliament.

(Additional reporting by Fayen Wong and Koh Gui Qing in Singapore)

[Lang Bang]

After Williams was pronounced dead, Becnel and two other supporters of
Williams turned toward the media in the witness room and yelled in
unison, "The state of California just killed an innocent man!"

LA Times
2:18 AM PST, December 13, 2005

DEATH WATCH AT SAN QUENTIN
Tookie Williams Is Executed
# The killer of four and Crips co-founder is given a lethal injection
after Schwarzenegger denies clemency. He never admitted his guilt.

By Jenifer Warren and Maura Dolan, Times Staff Writers

Stanley Tookie Williams, whose self-described evolution from gang thug
to antiviolence crusader won him an international following and
nominations for a Nobel Peace Prize, was executed by lethal injection
early today, hours after Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger refused to spare
his life.

His death was announced at 12:35 a.m.

During the execution, the inmate's friend Barbara Becnel and other
supporters mouthed "God bless you" and "We love you" and blew kisses to
Williams. Williams also seemed to mouth statements to Becnel.

The entire procedure took longer than usual. The execution team took
about 12 minutes to find a vein in Williams' muscular left arm. While
the personnel were probing, Williams repeatedly lifted his head off the
gurney, winced visibly, and at one point appeared to say: "Still
can't find it?"

After Williams was pronounced dead, Becnel and two other supporters of
Williams turned toward the media in the witness room and yelled in
unison, "The state of California just killed an innocent man!"

Lora Owens, murder victim Albert Owens' stepmother, appeared shaken,
and was embraced by another woman.

Outside the gates of San Quentin as midnight approached, speakers urged
calm. There was a moment of tension when a Williams' friend, Fred
Jackson, told the crowd, "It's all over."

Angry shouts broke out. A woman sobbed on someone's shoulder, and a
man burned an American flag. As Jackson continued to urge calm, the
crowd dispersed.

Speaking outside the gates of San Quentin after the execution, Becnel,
who is taking possession of Williams' body, called Schwarzenegger a
"cold-blooded murderer" and vowed to work for his defeat in the next
election.

Despite persistent pleas for mercy from around the globe, the governor
earlier in the day had said Williams was unworthy of clemency because
he had not admitted his brutal shotgun murders of four people during
two robberies 26 years ago.

After the U.S. Supreme Court denied a request for a last-minute stay
Monday evening, the co-founder of the infamous Crips street gang -
who insisted he was innocent of the murders - became the 12th man
executed by the state of California since voters reinstated capital
punishment in 1978.

With its racial overtones and compelling theme - society's dueling
goals of redemption and retribution - the case provoked more
controversy than any California execution in a generation, and became a
magnet for attention and media worldwide.

A long list of prominent supporters - as disparate as South African
Bishop Desmond Tutu and rapper Snoop Dogg - rallied to Williams'
cause.

But in a strongly worded rejection of Williams' request for clemency,
Schwarzenegger said he saw no need to rehash or second-guess the many
court decisions already rendered in the case, and he questioned the
death row inmate's claims of atonement.

Williams, the governor said in a statement, never admitted guilt,
plotted to kill law enforcement officers after his capture, and made
little mention in his writings of the scourge of gang killings, which
the statement called "a tragedy of our modern culture."

As night descended Monday, about 1,000 demonstrators who gathered on a
tree-lined street leading to the gates of San Quentin State Prison
endured frosty temperatures to protest the execution.

Joan Baez sang "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" as speakers urged
participants to keep fighting. Small clumps of people in scarves and
gloves held candles and sang hymns, while others wandered off alone,
gazing into the bay.

There were small, scattered protests around the state, including a
candlelight vigil Monday night in Leimert Park.

A few death penalty supporters also turned out at San Quentin. Scuffles
and shoving matches broke out on occasion, but no serious incidents
were reported.

Behind the prison's thick walls, Williams passed his dwindling hours
quietly, visiting with friends and talking on the telephone while under
constant watch by guards.

[S***@aol.com]

Post by Lang Bang
After Williams was pronounced dead, Becnel and two other supporters of

Williams turned toward the media in the witness room and yelled in
unison, "The state of California just killed an innocent man!"

***
This case is a muderer brutally rob and kill 1 white man and a week
or so, later rob a motel and kill a Chinese couple is the owner and
kill their daughter . Not softly like Air transit trafficker

Called him (Williams) a innocent man ????
Give me a break, he was a gang leader and in order to pay
back with his crime, he wrote a couple of books about bad
crime as killing people, I personally myself did not wish him
be in death chamber, but he did kill 4 peoples

Still much muchacho better than Singhangpore, Williams served
in jail for 28 Yrs . That is what i raised my voice to ask
Singhangpore
let Nguyentuong Van in jail and talk/write to young men
about bad Drug before SG decides to hang him so soon .

Your law can not catch and shot, will not effectively way to
put your country in assurance of protection !

[m***@yahoo.com]

It is very unfortunate that Australians have derogated themselves to
the levels of singaporeans and have started to complain complain and
complain!

Why don't you people just sent your missiles and bombs to singapore?

Post by Lambada
***
Why Singaporeans are so willingly to kill the man
in the transit lounge air port with his heroin to carry
to Australia destinaton ? Let AU handle her own crime
by deport him back to AU according to international law
By now, Mr Nguen Tuong Van is near to death by
the Humanity Law of Singapore of hanging. I light a candle for
him, may peace and God be with you
(fwd)
WORLD NEWS
http://www.thecouriermail.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5936,17432290%255E954,00.html
back PRINT-FRIENDLY VERSION EMAIL THIS STORY
COMPOSED and thinking good things . . . Nguyen Tuong Van.
Mum held Nguyen's hand for last time
Jamie Walker in Singapore
02dec05
NGUYEN Tuong Van was due to be woken by his guards at 4am today in
Singapore's Changi Prison.
But with only hours of his young life left, it was doubtful the
Melbourne man would have slept at all.
The countdown to his execution at 8am Queensland time was to begin with
Nguyen showering and being served a simple breakfast of bread, fruit
and coffee. A Catholic priest was due to come to his cell to pray with
him.
methodically, with almost sterile efficiency.
The one comfort he was permitted yesterday was to hold hands with his
heartbroken mother, Kim, and twin brother, Khoa.
Mrs Nguyen had wanted to hug her son, but her request for physical
contact was rejected because the Singaporeans consider it to be too
destabilising. Only after an appeal by Prime Minister John Howard, did
local authorities agree to allow the condemned man to touch hands with
his mother, a pitifully sad gesture of goodbye.
As is the practice in Singapore, no outside witnesses were to be
present at Nguyen's hanging.
His lawyers Lex Lasry, QC, and Julian McMahon continued to fight to the
bitter end, making last-ditch pleas to senior Singaporean Government
officials yesterday in a seemingly futile effort to secure a reprieve.
After his final visit with Nguyen, an emotional Mr Lasry said: "I think
the thing that strikes me about this is that we are looking into the
eyes of a healthy, 25-year-old man with so much to offer, who is going
to die a violent death."
Mr McMahon described Nguyen's state of mind as "beautiful" and said he
was cheerful and composed.
"He only wishes to think good thoughts, say good things and do what is
right," Mr McMahon said.
"He is completely rehabilitated, completely reformed, completely
focused on doing what is good and now they are going to kill him."
Nguyen said farewell to his mother, brother, and school friends,
Bronwyn Lew and Kelly Ng, in a four-hour meeting yesterday before being
returned to his isolation cell.
Mrs Nguyen left the jail, her head covered by a white scarf.
She was escorted to a waiting car, along with Khoa, by Australian
embassy officials who wrapped their arms around the distraught woman.
It was the last time she was to see her condemned son.
Local lawyer and anti-death penalty campaigner M. Ravi said Nguyen's
legal team should have still applied to a court to give Mrs Nguyen the
comfort of hugging her son.
"No judge in Singapore would stop a mother from doing that," he said.
"The courts are not that cruel."
Mr Ravi has had two clients executed under Singapore's mandatory death
policy for hard drug trafficking and knows the routine of those final
harrowing hours on Changi's death row.
Nguyen has been in Changi for the past three years since he was
arrested with almost 400g of heroin. He had been trying to board a
Qantas flight to Melbourne with the drugs strapped to his body and
inside his hand luggage, but it was discovered as he walked through a
metal detector.
Baring the near-miracle of a death's-door reprieve, Nguyen would be
dressed in standard prison garb of white shirt and shorts before being
taken to a holding cell about 20m from the gallows.
As dawn broke, he would have been told it was time.
A black hood would be pulled over his head and his hands cuffed behind
his back.
Four guards would have escorted him to the gallows where, according to
Mr Ravi, a nylon noose was to be fitted around his neck.
Between 6 and 6.30am (local time), justice Singapore-style would have
been done.
========
NATIONAL NEWS
http://www.thecouriermail.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5936,17431929%255E953,00.html
back PRINT-FRIENDLY VERSION EMAIL THIS STORY
OVERCOME . . . a distraught Kim Nguyen is comforted by Liz Lasry, wife
of lawyer Lex Lasry, after visiiting for the last time her condemned
son Tuong Van Nguyen at Singapore's Changi Prison yesterday.
Nguyen hanging to traumatise guards
Russell Robinson in Singapore
02dec05
GUARDS on death row in Singapore's Changi prison will be "very upset"
by the execution of Nguyen Tuong Van, according to the lawyer of the
convicted Melbourne drug trafficker.
Lex Lasry, QC, said the guards had cared for Nguyen and treated him
like a son.
"They're going to be very upset," he said.
"They work in death row on the ground and they feel it. Van and these
men have a great relationship and I've seen evidence of it during the
course of our visits.
"Yesterday, a couple of prison officers arrived with a bag of food for
him, which was chocolates and those sorts of things. That's the way
they try to bestow some sort of privileges on him."
Nguyen was to be executed at 6am (8am Queensland time) today, after
spending his final night praying with a priest.
"He loves the 23rd Psalm and that will figure in the last hours," Mr
Lasry said.
"He's determined to go out with strength and optimism."
Speaking just hours after paying his last visit with Nguyen, Mr Lasry
said the young Australian would not be shackled when taken to the
gallows.
"He'll walk to the gallows and he'll walk confidently," he said.
"He'll have Rosary beads and he'll have people with him. He genuinely
thinks he's going somewhere good."
Nguyen's body will be taken from the prison several hours after the
execution, when he is pronounced dead and a formal identification of
the body is made.
A special vehicle, arranged by the Australian embassy and his lawyers,
will then take Nguyen's body out of the prison to prepare for the
flight home to Melbourne where a special funeral service will be held.
Mr Lasry last night reflected on his relationship with the client he
and their supporters simply call Van. He said Nguyen had been spending
considerable time writing letters to his family, friends and
supporters.
"His cell, which he calls his room, is filled with photographs and
writing gear all around," Mr Lasry said.
"He told Julian McMahon (his other Melbourne lawyer) that he measures
his time in jail by the time that a Biro lasts, which is 16 to 18 days.
"Of course, that's over."
His twin brother Khoa spent considerable time visiting him yesterday,
wearing all-white clothes, the traditional symbol of mourning.
When he was arrested three years ago with almost 400g of heroin
strapped to his body and inside his hand luggage, Nguyen claimed he had
acted as a drug mule to help pay Khoa's debts.
Yesterday, Mr Lasry said Khoa, who has maintained his silence, was
feeling "somewhat solitary" and wanting some time to himself.
"It must be terribly difficult for him, particularly as he looks to his
future and particularly being a twin," he said. "I think the wrench
that will be involved in the death of his brother will be amazing."
Mr Lasry said before the trial he offered to plead to a charge which
would have given Nguyen more than 20 years behind bars.
"For a boy of 22, it's a pretty savage sentence, and it's way in excess
of any sentence a judge would impose in Australia," he said. "And the
fact it's in Singapore doesn't make it right."

[Loganathan]

This is because many of the complaining Singaporeans had migrated there.
They are infectious upon the existing Aussies. It may be good-riddance to
bad eggs in Sg, but we have to pity Australia, that they have to swallow our
puke.

Post by m***@yahoo.com
It is very unfortunate that Australians have derogated themselves to
the levels of singaporeans and have started to complain complain and
complain!
Why don't you people just sent your missiles and bombs to singapore?

Post by Lambada
***
Why Singaporeans are so willingly to kill the man
in the transit lounge air port with his heroin to carry
to Australia destinaton ? Let AU handle her own crime
by deport him back to AU according to international law
By now, Mr Nguen Tuong Van is near to death by
the Humanity Law of Singapore of hanging. I light a candle for
him, may peace and God be with you
(fwd)
WORLD NEWS

http://www.thecouriermail.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5936,17432290%255E
954,00.html

Post by m***@yahoo.com

Post by Lambada
back PRINT-FRIENDLY VERSION EMAIL THIS STORY
COMPOSED and thinking good things . . . Nguyen Tuong Van.
Mum held Nguyen's hand for last time
Jamie Walker in Singapore
02dec05
NGUYEN Tuong Van was due to be woken by his guards at 4am today in
Singapore's Changi Prison.
But with only hours of his young life left, it was doubtful the
Melbourne man would have slept at all.
The countdown to his execution at 8am Queensland time was to begin with
Nguyen showering and being served a simple breakfast of bread, fruit
and coffee. A Catholic priest was due to come to his cell to pray with
him.
methodically, with almost sterile efficiency.
The one comfort he was permitted yesterday was to hold hands with his
heartbroken mother, Kim, and twin brother, Khoa.
Mrs Nguyen had wanted to hug her son, but her request for physical
contact was rejected because the Singaporeans consider it to be too
destabilising. Only after an appeal by Prime Minister John Howard, did
local authorities agree to allow the condemned man to touch hands with
his mother, a pitifully sad gesture of goodbye.
As is the practice in Singapore, no outside witnesses were to be
present at Nguyen's hanging.
His lawyers Lex Lasry, QC, and Julian McMahon continued to fight to the
bitter end, making last-ditch pleas to senior Singaporean Government
officials yesterday in a seemingly futile effort to secure a reprieve.
After his final visit with Nguyen, an emotional Mr Lasry said: "I think
the thing that strikes me about this is that we are looking into the
eyes of a healthy, 25-year-old man with so much to offer, who is going
to die a violent death."
Mr McMahon described Nguyen's state of mind as "beautiful" and said he
was cheerful and composed.
"He only wishes to think good thoughts, say good things and do what is
right," Mr McMahon said.
"He is completely rehabilitated, completely reformed, completely
focused on doing what is good and now they are going to kill him."
Nguyen said farewell to his mother, brother, and school friends,
Bronwyn Lew and Kelly Ng, in a four-hour meeting yesterday before being
returned to his isolation cell.
Mrs Nguyen left the jail, her head covered by a white scarf.
She was escorted to a waiting car, along with Khoa, by Australian
embassy officials who wrapped their arms around the distraught woman.
It was the last time she was to see her condemned son.
Local lawyer and anti-death penalty campaigner M. Ravi said Nguyen's
legal team should have still applied to a court to give Mrs Nguyen the
comfort of hugging her son.
"No judge in Singapore would stop a mother from doing that," he said.
"The courts are not that cruel."
Mr Ravi has had two clients executed under Singapore's mandatory death
policy for hard drug trafficking and knows the routine of those final
harrowing hours on Changi's death row.
Nguyen has been in Changi for the past three years since he was
arrested with almost 400g of heroin. He had been trying to board a
Qantas flight to Melbourne with the drugs strapped to his body and
inside his hand luggage, but it was discovered as he walked through a
metal detector.
Baring the near-miracle of a death's-door reprieve, Nguyen would be
dressed in standard prison garb of white shirt and shorts before being
taken to a holding cell about 20m from the gallows.
As dawn broke, he would have been told it was time.
A black hood would be pulled over his head and his hands cuffed behind
his back.
Four guards would have escorted him to the gallows where, according to
Mr Ravi, a nylon noose was to be fitted around his neck.
Between 6 and 6.30am (local time), justice Singapore-style would have
been done.
========
NATIONAL NEWS

http://www.thecouriermail.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5936,17431929%255E
953,00.html

Post by m***@yahoo.com

Post by Lambada
back PRINT-FRIENDLY VERSION EMAIL THIS STORY
OVERCOME . . . a distraught Kim Nguyen is comforted by Liz Lasry, wife
of lawyer Lex Lasry, after visiiting for the last time her condemned
son Tuong Van Nguyen at Singapore's Changi Prison yesterday.
Nguyen hanging to traumatise guards
Russell Robinson in Singapore
02dec05
GUARDS on death row in Singapore's Changi prison will be "very upset"
by the execution of Nguyen Tuong Van, according to the lawyer of the
convicted Melbourne drug trafficker.
Lex Lasry, QC, said the guards had cared for Nguyen and treated him
like a son.
"They're going to be very upset," he said.
"They work in death row on the ground and they feel it. Van and these
men have a great relationship and I've seen evidence of it during the
course of our visits.
"Yesterday, a couple of prison officers arrived with a bag of food for
him, which was chocolates and those sorts of things. That's the way
they try to bestow some sort of privileges on him."
Nguyen was to be executed at 6am (8am Queensland time) today, after
spending his final night praying with a priest.
"He loves the 23rd Psalm and that will figure in the last hours," Mr
Lasry said.
"He's determined to go out with strength and optimism."
Speaking just hours after paying his last visit with Nguyen, Mr Lasry
said the young Australian would not be shackled when taken to the
gallows.
"He'll walk to the gallows and he'll walk confidently," he said.
"He'll have Rosary beads and he'll have people with him. He genuinely
thinks he's going somewhere good."
Nguyen's body will be taken from the prison several hours after the
execution, when he is pronounced dead and a formal identification of
the body is made.
A special vehicle, arranged by the Australian embassy and his lawyers,
will then take Nguyen's body out of the prison to prepare for the
flight home to Melbourne where a special funeral service will be held.
Mr Lasry last night reflected on his relationship with the client he
and their supporters simply call Van. He said Nguyen had been spending
considerable time writing letters to his family, friends and
supporters.
"His cell, which he calls his room, is filled with photographs and
writing gear all around," Mr Lasry said.
"He told Julian McMahon (his other Melbourne lawyer) that he measures
his time in jail by the time that a Biro lasts, which is 16 to 18 days.
"Of course, that's over."
His twin brother Khoa spent considerable time visiting him yesterday,
wearing all-white clothes, the traditional symbol of mourning.
When he was arrested three years ago with almost 400g of heroin
strapped to his body and inside his hand luggage, Nguyen claimed he had
acted as a drug mule to help pay Khoa's debts.
Yesterday, Mr Lasry said Khoa, who has maintained his silence, was
feeling "somewhat solitary" and wanting some time to himself.
"It must be terribly difficult for him, particularly as he looks to his
future and particularly being a twin," he said. "I think the wrench
that will be involved in the death of his brother will be amazing."
Mr Lasry said before the trial he offered to plead to a charge which
would have given Nguyen more than 20 years behind bars.
"For a boy of 22, it's a pretty savage sentence, and it's way in excess
of any sentence a judge would impose in Australia," he said. "And the
fact it's in Singapore doesn't make it right."

[S***@aol.com]

***
Can you Singhangpore citizen guys tell us about
this incident ???? (Dont push you men to death, OK)

(fwd)
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/184281/1/.html

NSman collapses and dies during remedial fitness training

SINGAPORE : A national serviceman has collapsed and died after remedial
fitness training at Maju Camp.

The Defence Ministry says 35-year-old Lance Corporal Ho Wah Yeng was
immediately evacuated to the National University Hospital when he
collapsed after 11am on Sunday.

He died about an hour later.

Mindef and the SAF extended their condolences to Ho's family.

Mindef is investigating the incident.

Ho is the fourth serviceman to have collapsed and died this year; two
had died in June, and another full time serviceman collapsed during a
street soccer game in September.

Defence Minister Teo Chee Hean told Parliament in July that there were
19 such cases of sudden cardiac death in the armed forces in the last
decade, an incidence rate lower than the national figures of such
deaths.

He assured that immediate care was available in such emergencies, but
such deaths were hard to prevent. - CNA /ct

Copyright © 2005 MCN International Pte Ltd

E-mail this page Print this page Forum

[m***@yahoo.com]

This fellow did some very bad things in his previous life and had been
punished by the chief justice of hell! Bad Karma never dies!

Post by S***@aol.com
***
Can you Singhangpore citizen guys tell us about
this incident ???? (Dont push you men to death, OK)
(fwd)
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/184281/1/.html
NSman collapses and dies during remedial fitness training
SINGAPORE : A national serviceman has collapsed and died after remedial
fitness training at Maju Camp.
The Defence Ministry says 35-year-old Lance Corporal Ho Wah Yeng was
immediately evacuated to the National University Hospital when he
collapsed after 11am on Sunday.
He died about an hour later.
Mindef and the SAF extended their condolences to Ho's family.
Mindef is investigating the incident.
Ho is the fourth serviceman to have collapsed and died this year; two
had died in June, and another full time serviceman collapsed during a
street soccer game in September.
Defence Minister Teo Chee Hean told Parliament in July that there were
19 such cases of sudden cardiac death in the armed forces in the last
decade, an incidence rate lower than the national figures of such
deaths.
He assured that immediate care was available in such emergencies, but
such deaths were hard to prevent. - CNA /ct
Copyright © 2005 MCN International Pte Ltd
E-mail this page Print this page Forum

[m***@yahoo.com]

It is very unfortunate that Australians have derogated themselves to
the levels of singaporeans and have started to complain complain and
complain!


Why don't you people just sent your missiles and bombs to singapore?

Post by Lambada
***
Why Singaporeans are so willingly to kill the man
in the transit lounge air port with his heroin to carry
to Australia destinaton ? Let AU handle her own crime
by deport him back to AU according to international law
By now, Mr Nguen Tuong Van is near to death by
the Humanity Law of Singapore of hanging. I light a candle for
him, may peace and God be with you
(fwd)
WORLD NEWS
http://www.thecouriermail.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5936,17432290%255E954,00.html
back PRINT-FRIENDLY VERSION EMAIL THIS STORY
COMPOSED and thinking good things . . . Nguyen Tuong Van.
Mum held Nguyen's hand for last time
Jamie Walker in Singapore
02dec05
NGUYEN Tuong Van was due to be woken by his guards at 4am today in
Singapore's Changi Prison.
But with only hours of his young life left, it was doubtful the
Melbourne man would have slept at all.
The countdown to his execution at 8am Queensland time was to begin with
Nguyen showering and being served a simple breakfast of bread, fruit
and coffee. A Catholic priest was due to come to his cell to pray with
him.
methodically, with almost sterile efficiency.
The one comfort he was permitted yesterday was to hold hands with his
heartbroken mother, Kim, and twin brother, Khoa.
Mrs Nguyen had wanted to hug her son, but her request for physical
contact was rejected because the Singaporeans consider it to be too
destabilising. Only after an appeal by Prime Minister John Howard, did
local authorities agree to allow the condemned man to touch hands with
his mother, a pitifully sad gesture of goodbye.
As is the practice in Singapore, no outside witnesses were to be
present at Nguyen's hanging.
His lawyers Lex Lasry, QC, and Julian McMahon continued to fight to the
bitter end, making last-ditch pleas to senior Singaporean Government
officials yesterday in a seemingly futile effort to secure a reprieve.
After his final visit with Nguyen, an emotional Mr Lasry said: "I think
the thing that strikes me about this is that we are looking into the
eyes of a healthy, 25-year-old man with so much to offer, who is going
to die a violent death."
Mr McMahon described Nguyen's state of mind as "beautiful" and said he
was cheerful and composed.
"He only wishes to think good thoughts, say good things and do what is
right," Mr McMahon said.
"He is completely rehabilitated, completely reformed, completely
focused on doing what is good and now they are going to kill him."
Nguyen said farewell to his mother, brother, and school friends,
Bronwyn Lew and Kelly Ng, in a four-hour meeting yesterday before being
returned to his isolation cell.
Mrs Nguyen left the jail, her head covered by a white scarf.
She was escorted to a waiting car, along with Khoa, by Australian
embassy officials who wrapped their arms around the distraught woman.
It was the last time she was to see her condemned son.
Local lawyer and anti-death penalty campaigner M. Ravi said Nguyen's
legal team should have still applied to a court to give Mrs Nguyen the
comfort of hugging her son.
"No judge in Singapore would stop a mother from doing that," he said.
"The courts are not that cruel."
Mr Ravi has had two clients executed under Singapore's mandatory death
policy for hard drug trafficking and knows the routine of those final
harrowing hours on Changi's death row.
Nguyen has been in Changi for the past three years since he was
arrested with almost 400g of heroin. He had been trying to board a
Qantas flight to Melbourne with the drugs strapped to his body and
inside his hand luggage, but it was discovered as he walked through a
metal detector.
Baring the near-miracle of a death's-door reprieve, Nguyen would be
dressed in standard prison garb of white shirt and shorts before being
taken to a holding cell about 20m from the gallows.
As dawn broke, he would have been told it was time.
A black hood would be pulled over his head and his hands cuffed behind
his back.
Four guards would have escorted him to the gallows where, according to
Mr Ravi, a nylon noose was to be fitted around his neck.
Between 6 and 6.30am (local time), justice Singapore-style would have
been done.
========
NATIONAL NEWS
http://www.thecouriermail.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5936,17431929%255E953,00.html
back PRINT-FRIENDLY VERSION EMAIL THIS STORY
OVERCOME . . . a distraught Kim Nguyen is comforted by Liz Lasry, wife
of lawyer Lex Lasry, after visiiting for the last time her condemned
son Tuong Van Nguyen at Singapore's Changi Prison yesterday.
Nguyen hanging to traumatise guards
Russell Robinson in Singapore
02dec05
GUARDS on death row in Singapore's Changi prison will be "very upset"
by the execution of Nguyen Tuong Van, according to the lawyer of the
convicted Melbourne drug trafficker.
Lex Lasry, QC, said the guards had cared for Nguyen and treated him
like a son.
"They're going to be very upset," he said.
"They work in death row on the ground and they feel it. Van and these
men have a great relationship and I've seen evidence of it during the
course of our visits.
"Yesterday, a couple of prison officers arrived with a bag of food for
him, which was chocolates and those sorts of things. That's the way
they try to bestow some sort of privileges on him."
Nguyen was to be executed at 6am (8am Queensland time) today, after
spending his final night praying with a priest.
"He loves the 23rd Psalm and that will figure in the last hours," Mr
Lasry said.
"He's determined to go out with strength and optimism."
Speaking just hours after paying his last visit with Nguyen, Mr Lasry
said the young Australian would not be shackled when taken to the
gallows.
"He'll walk to the gallows and he'll walk confidently," he said.
"He'll have Rosary beads and he'll have people with him. He genuinely
thinks he's going somewhere good."
Nguyen's body will be taken from the prison several hours after the
execution, when he is pronounced dead and a formal identification of
the body is made.
A special vehicle, arranged by the Australian embassy and his lawyers,
will then take Nguyen's body out of the prison to prepare for the
flight home to Melbourne where a special funeral service will be held.
Mr Lasry last night reflected on his relationship with the client he
and their supporters simply call Van. He said Nguyen had been spending
considerable time writing letters to his family, friends and
supporters.
"His cell, which he calls his room, is filled with photographs and
writing gear all around," Mr Lasry said.
"He told Julian McMahon (his other Melbourne lawyer) that he measures
his time in jail by the time that a Biro lasts, which is 16 to 18 days.
"Of course, that's over."
His twin brother Khoa spent considerable time visiting him yesterday,
wearing all-white clothes, the traditional symbol of mourning.
When he was arrested three years ago with almost 400g of heroin
strapped to his body and inside his hand luggage, Nguyen claimed he had
acted as a drug mule to help pay Khoa's debts.
Yesterday, Mr Lasry said Khoa, who has maintained his silence, was
feeling "somewhat solitary" and wanting some time to himself.
"It must be terribly difficult for him, particularly as he looks to his
future and particularly being a twin," he said. "I think the wrench
that will be involved in the death of his brother will be amazing."
Mr Lasry said before the trial he offered to plead to a charge which
would have given Nguyen more than 20 years behind bars.
"For a boy of 22, it's a pretty savage sentence, and it's way in excess
of any sentence a judge would impose in Australia," he said. "And the
fact it's in Singapore doesn't make it right."

[Lambada]

***
Singhangpore is a Democracy country, why dont you guys
let peoples talk ????

Ain't, then we call it Democrazy Singhangpore :)))

Anyway, Merry Xmas

[Observer]

Post by Lambada
***
Singhangpore is a Democracy country, why dont you guys
let peoples talk ????

We do not let drug smugglers and their
supporters talk.
We HANG them...
LOL.

[S***@aol.com]

***
Singhangpore also did not let her own peoples talk
any thing about their goverment

Agree ?

PS: Soon, Lee Kuan Yew will goto hell, will see the
world make judement , he could die next week, sometimes,
too old now :)))

[Tulang]

Why not?
I always talk and critisise our Govt. here.
So long u didn't turn on racial and religious conflicts.

Post by S***@aol.com
***
Singhangpore also did not let her own peoples talk
any thing about their goverment
Agree ?
PS: Soon, Lee Kuan Yew will goto hell, will see the
world make judement , he could die next week, sometimes,
too old now :)))

[S***@aol.com]

Post by Tulang
Why not?

I always talk and critisise our Govt. here.
So long u didn't turn on racial and religious conflicts.

***
No sir, you can not critisise your Govt. on internet, SG
also control internet, you can gossip or chit/chat within
your group in closed room with fear

Lee Kuan Yew had set the law as he said SG doesn't
want the same western democratic values and only
wants Asian values, unfortunately, British was a pioneer
to create Singhangpore and you guys were so proud of that,
such as " we do like British in the 16th century to hang, to cane
people ...blah...blah "

What a STUPID

PS: I dont want to go to that shit SG country, as if when
I sneezing, police can caning me, how the hell I know every
laws in SG, sneezing can be as same as littering :))))

[Lambada]

***

Now, Singhangpore get painful and try to revenge AU :)))
You dont want peoples critisise you, how could you critisise
others ???

Communism is the best choice to isolate the country, no drug
no crime, no rape, no thief, everybody work hard

Only the leaders can do any thing :)))

(fwd)
http://www.smh.com.au/news/World/Singapore-paper-attacks-Australian-media/2005/12/17/1134703637895.html

Home » World » Breaking News » Article
Singapore paper attacks Australian media
Email Print Normal font Large font December 17, 2005 - 2:54PM

Advertisement
AdvertisementSingapore's main English-language newspaper has taken a
wide swing at the Australian media, contrasting its treatment of this
month's hanging in Singapore of drug trafficker Nguyen Tuong Van and
Sydney's race-related violence.

In its editorial, The Straits Times said in the run-up to the execution
of Nguyen the Australian media was filled with commentary suggesting
the mark of civilisation was to be kind to gangsters, hooligans and
drug pushers.

In contrast, the editorial said: "This week the NSW parliament passed
tough new laws to give the state's police exceptional powers to deal
with the riots that have broken out in Sydney."

It also highlighted Prime Minister John Howard's comments that such
incidents can happen in any country, adding: "Yes, they certainly can,
prime minister. Pity many of your compatriots did not see that a couple
of weeks ago", around the time of the Nguyen hanging.

Nguyen, 25, was hanged on December 2 for importing almost 400 grams of
heroin into Singapore in late 2002.

Singapore law mandates the death penalty for those convicted of drug
trafficking, set at 15 grams for those caught with heroin.

The Nguyen case raised intense interest in Australia, with the Howard
government leading a passionate - but unsuccessful - bid for clemency.

During the final weeks of Nguyen's life, The Straits Times gave
increasing amounts of space to the drama, and in an editorial at the
time it argued the former salesman should not be spared.

The Straits Times has close links to Singapore's ruling People's Action
Party and is broadly supportive of government policy, or what local
officials call nation-building.

The editorial went on to offer broad praise for Australia's efforts to
promote racial harmony, but laced that analysis with caution.

"While racism may be on the rise in the country, Australia's record on
this front is better than many other countries, including Islamic ones,
now expressing their alarm over the fate of Muslims Down Under," the
paper said.

It concluded, "The country's achievement in creating a plural society
will be threatened if its leaders do not face squarely, and address
frankly, the racism that lingers in Australian society."

© 2005 AAP

[Bad boy]

We are talking.....telling you the truth you
don't like to hear about Australia.
Ha ha ha he he

We also tell the truth about things we don't
like about our leaders.....but we don't tell
lie about our leaders. We are not liars like the
Australians.

Our laws hang traffickers and murderers.....we
support the laws ....it is a good to get rid the scum
of society. It is our way....we like it.

Australia have newspapers that spread lies and
half truth......Fools like Australians will believe in such
lies. You can keep such newspapers. We can do
without them.

Bad boy.

Post by S***@aol.com
***
Singhangpore also did not let her own peoples talk
any thing about their goverment
Agree ?
PS: Soon, Lee Kuan Yew will goto hell, will see the
world make judement , he could die next week, sometimes,
too old now :)))

[D***@aol.com]

***
Your Singhangpore's laws is SHIT. a small country
with 6 mil people, and too many shits herself

Please READ: ( I never see Singhangpore newspaper
post these on internet ?, poster get hang too)

(fwd)

Latest News December 18, 2005
Indonesian Cabinet
Indonesian History
RI-GAM MOU
State of the Nation Address
President's Inauguration Speech
Indonesian maid jailed in Singapore for ripping off woman's ear

SINGAPORE (DPA): An Indonesian maid who ripped off part of an elderly
woman's ear on finding the diabetic eating mooncakes was jailed for two
years and nine months, local media reported Saturday.

Sarmini, 21, became angry on seeing Chua Ah Lek, 67, snacking on slices
of mooncake from the refrigerator on Sept. 1, The Straits Times said.

She reached out and yanked the senile Chua's left ear, tearing part of
it off. Sarmani panicked, threw the part into a waste basket and
applied ointment on the ear, the district court heard Friday.

Chua was not taken to a hospital for nearly four hours until her nephew
returned home, said Deputy Public Prosecutor Paul Quan. By then, it was
too late for doctors to reattach the torn flesh.

Sarmini carried out a "cruel physical act of violence on a helpless
victim", Quan was quoted as saying.

The nephew, Chua Beng Seng, 35, hired Sarmini two years ago. Nine
family members live there, including Chua's parents and grandmother,
whose ages range from the 60s to 80s.

Sarmini's lawyer, Mohamed Muzammil Mohamed, described her as an
overworked maid. Besides taking care of all the household chores, she
also had to look after two young children and four elderly people.

Chua's father was described as a wheelchair-bound stroke patient who
needed Sarmini's help with bathing, using the toilet and changing his
clothes, the lawyer said. The maid also had to bathe Chua's
grandmother.

Muzammil said the maid was instructed to keep Chua's aunt away from
sweet foods that would worsen her diabetic condition.

Sarmini could have been jailed for up to seven years for causing
grievous hurt. (**)

[m***@yahoo.com]

Lee Kuan Yew promised the following in the Proclamation of Singapore:

Now I LEE KUAN YEW Prime Minister of Singapore, DO HEREBY PROCLAIM AND
DECLARE on behalf of the people and the Government of Singapore that as

from today the ninth day of August in the year one thousand nine
hundred and sixty-five Singapore shall be forever a sovereign
democratic and independent nation, founded upon the principles of
liberty and justice and ever seeking the welfare and happiness of her
people in a more just and equal society.

(Signed) LEE KUAN YEW Prime Minister of Singapore

Dated the 9th day of August, 1965.


_____________________

Till now Singapore and the government is not ever seeking the welfare
and happiness of singaporeans in a more just and equal society.

I wonder where is Democracy?
I wonder where is Liberty?
I wonder where is Justice?
I wonder where is Welfare?
I wonder where is Happiness?
I wonder where is Equality?
I wonder where and when is Independence from PAP?

Post by S***@aol.com
***
Singhangpore also did not let her own peoples talk
any thing about their goverment
Agree ?
PS: Soon, Lee Kuan Yew will goto hell, will see the
world make judement , he could die next week, sometimes,
too old now :)))

[m***@yahoo.com]

Lee Kuan Yew promised the following in the Proclamation of Singapore:

Now I LEE KUAN YEW Prime Minister of Singapore, DO HEREBY PROCLAIM AND
DECLARE on behalf of the people and the Government of Singapore that as

from today the ninth day of August in the year one thousand nine
hundred and sixty-five Singapore shall be forever a sovereign
democratic and independent nation, founded upon the principles of
liberty and justice and ever seeking the welfare and happiness of her
people in a more just and equal society.

(Signed) LEE KUAN YEW Prime Minister of Singapore

Dated the 9th day of August, 1965.


_____________________

Till now Singapore and the government is not ever seeking the welfare
and happiness of singaporeans in a more just and equal society.

I wonder where is Democracy?
I wonder where is Liberty?
I wonder where is Justice?
I wonder where is Welfare?
I wonder where is Happiness?
I wonder where is Equality?
I wonder where and when is Independence from PAP?

Post by Lambada
***
Singhangpore is a Democracy country, why dont you guys
let peoples talk ????
Ain't, then we call it Democrazy Singhangpore :)))
Anyway, Merry Xmas

[Lang Bang]

If you look for perfection, the answer to your questions is no where on
this earth.
Many Western nations kill people without court. A few months ago secret
Brittish police killed an innocent South American by misidentifying him
as a terrorist.
Americans also were willing to shoot and kill without court. A few
weeks ago U.S. air marshalls fired several shots and killed a mentally
illed passenger. Last week, New Orleans police fired several shots and
killed a mentally illed black man. Did anyone say anything against any
U.S. leaders for these killings? Had police of any Asian nations
(Singapore, Vietnam, China) done these acts we would hear a lot of
condemnations. So why not UK or U.S.A.?
The Amesty International and Amer Civil Liberties Union for the past
few years have accused the U.S. of human right violations, secret
prisons, torture, and secret wiretap. They even acused the U.S. of
following tactics of Stalin and Vietcong.

A few hundred years ago, the Brittish forces won the opium war against
China and forced China to alllow free importation of opium to poison
the Chinese. For over 200 years, the new freedom of drugs killed
millions of Chinese addicts and destroyed millions Chinese families.
Since most Singaporians are Chinese, they remembered well that they
were victims of drugs in the past and now they have no mercy on drug
dealers. It's understandable.

[m***@yahoo.com]

LKY promised that the government of singaopore will ever seek the
happiness and welfare of singaporeans in a more just and equal society.
Killing people is not seeking happiness and welfare in a just and
equal society. Is this politician lying? What is so understandable
about top politicians lying?

Post by Lang Bang
If you look for perfection, the answer to your questions is no where on
this earth.
Many Western nations kill people without court. A few months ago secret
Brittish police killed an innocent South American by misidentifying him
as a terrorist.
Americans also were willing to shoot and kill without court. A few
weeks ago U.S. air marshalls fired several shots and killed a mentally
illed passenger. Last week, New Orleans police fired several shots and
killed a mentally illed black man. Did anyone say anything against any
U.S. leaders for these killings? Had police of any Asian nations
(Singapore, Vietnam, China) done these acts we would hear a lot of
condemnations. So why not UK or U.S.A.?
The Amesty International and Amer Civil Liberties Union for the past
few years have accused the U.S. of human right violations, secret
prisons, torture, and secret wiretap. They even acused the U.S. of
following tactics of Stalin and Vietcong.
A few hundred years ago, the Brittish forces won the opium war against
China and forced China to alllow free importation of opium to poison
the Chinese. For over 200 years, the new freedom of drugs killed
millions of Chinese addicts and destroyed millions Chinese families.
Since most Singaporians are Chinese, they remembered well that they
were victims of drugs in the past and now they have no mercy on drug
dealers. It's understandable.

[Em Mo^.ng Dde.p ;) .]

Willing to kill

***
It can be Fanatic Islam today, period.

[Loganathan]

You are a badly confused lad. Tell me, why do
you think Bush is killing so many Iraqis and
his own people in Iraq. Perhaps your unbiased
answer will give you some light on "killing
people".

<***@yahoo.com> wrote in message news:***@g47g2000cwa.goo
glegroups.com...

Post by m***@yahoo.com
LKY promised that the government of

singaopore will ever seek the

Post by m***@yahoo.com
happiness and welfare of singaporeans in a

more just and equal society.

Post by m***@yahoo.com
Killing people is not seeking happiness

and welfare in a just and

Post by m***@yahoo.com
equal society. Is this politician lying?

What is so understandable

Post by m***@yahoo.com
about top politicians lying?

Post by Lang Bang
If you look for perfection, the answer to

your questions is no where on

Post by m***@yahoo.com

Post by Lang Bang
this earth.
Many Western nations kill people without

court. A few months ago secret

Post by m***@yahoo.com

Post by Lang Bang
Brittish police killed an innocent South

American by misidentifying him

Post by m***@yahoo.com

Post by Lang Bang
as a terrorist.
Americans also were willing to shoot and

kill without court. A few

Post by m***@yahoo.com

Post by Lang Bang
weeks ago U.S. air marshalls fired

several shots and killed a mentally

Post by m***@yahoo.com

Post by Lang Bang
illed passenger. Last week, New Orleans

police fired several shots and

Post by m***@yahoo.com

Post by Lang Bang
killed a mentally illed black man. Did

anyone say anything against any

Post by m***@yahoo.com

Post by Lang Bang
U.S. leaders for these killings? Had

police of any Asian nations

Post by m***@yahoo.com

Post by Lang Bang
(Singapore, Vietnam, China) done these

acts we would hear a lot of

Post by m***@yahoo.com

Post by Lang Bang
condemnations. So why not UK or U.S.A.?
The Amesty International and Amer Civil

Liberties Union for the past

Post by m***@yahoo.com

Post by Lang Bang
few years have accused the U.S. of human

right violations, secret

Post by m***@yahoo.com

Post by Lang Bang
prisons, torture, and secret wiretap.

They even acused the U.S. of

Post by m***@yahoo.com

Post by Lang Bang
following tactics of Stalin and

Vietcong.

Post by m***@yahoo.com

Post by Lang Bang
A few hundred years ago, the Brittish

forces won the opium war against

Post by m***@yahoo.com

Post by Lang Bang
China and forced China to alllow free

importation of opium to poison

Post by m***@yahoo.com

Post by Lang Bang
the Chinese. For over 200 years, the new

freedom of drugs killed

Post by m***@yahoo.com

Post by Lang Bang
millions of Chinese addicts and destroyed

millions Chinese families.

Post by m***@yahoo.com

Post by Lang Bang
Since most Singaporians are Chinese, they

remembered well that they

Post by m***@yahoo.com

Post by Lang Bang
were victims of drugs in the past and

now they have no mercy on drug

Post by m***@yahoo.com

Post by Lang Bang
dealers. It's understandable.

[m***@yahoo.com]

If Bush if lying then the Americans have a problem and they got to take
care of their own shit. If LKY is lying or had lied then Singaporeans
have a problem and they have to take of their own shit!

Post by Loganathan
You are a badly confused lad. Tell me, why do
you think Bush is killing so many Iraqis and
his own people in Iraq. Perhaps your unbiased
answer will give you some light on "killing
people".
glegroups.com...

Post by m***@yahoo.com
LKY promised that the government of

singaopore will ever seek the

Post by m***@yahoo.com
happiness and welfare of singaporeans in a

more just and equal society.

Post by m***@yahoo.com
Killing people is not seeking happiness

and welfare in a just and

Post by m***@yahoo.com
equal society. Is this politician lying?

What is so understandable

Post by m***@yahoo.com
about top politicians lying?

Post by Lang Bang
If you look for perfection, the answer to

your questions is no where on

Post by m***@yahoo.com

Post by Lang Bang
this earth.
Many Western nations kill people without

court. A few months ago secret

Post by m***@yahoo.com

Post by Lang Bang
Brittish police killed an innocent South

American by misidentifying him

Post by m***@yahoo.com

Post by Lang Bang
as a terrorist.
Americans also were willing to shoot and

kill without court. A few

Post by m***@yahoo.com

Post by Lang Bang
weeks ago U.S. air marshalls fired

several shots and killed a mentally

Post by m***@yahoo.com

Post by Lang Bang
illed passenger. Last week, New Orleans

police fired several shots and

Post by m***@yahoo.com

Post by Lang Bang
killed a mentally illed black man. Did

anyone say anything against any

Post by m***@yahoo.com

Post by Lang Bang
U.S. leaders for these killings? Had

police of any Asian nations

Post by m***@yahoo.com

Post by Lang Bang
(Singapore, Vietnam, China) done these

acts we would hear a lot of

Post by m***@yahoo.com

Post by Lang Bang
condemnations. So why not UK or U.S.A.?
The Amesty International and Amer Civil

Liberties Union for the past

Post by m***@yahoo.com

Post by Lang Bang
few years have accused the U.S. of human

right violations, secret

Post by m***@yahoo.com

Post by Lang Bang
prisons, torture, and secret wiretap.

They even acused the U.S. of

Post by m***@yahoo.com

Post by Lang Bang
following tactics of Stalin and

Vietcong.

Post by m***@yahoo.com

Post by Lang Bang
A few hundred years ago, the Brittish

forces won the opium war against

Post by m***@yahoo.com

Post by Lang Bang
China and forced China to alllow free

importation of opium to poison

Post by m***@yahoo.com

Post by Lang Bang
the Chinese. For over 200 years, the new

freedom of drugs killed

Post by m***@yahoo.com

Post by Lang Bang
millions of Chinese addicts and destroyed

millions Chinese families.

Post by m***@yahoo.com

Post by Lang Bang
Since most Singaporians are Chinese, they

remembered well that they

Post by m***@yahoo.com

Post by Lang Bang
were victims of drugs in the past and

now they have no mercy on drug

Post by m***@yahoo.com

Post by Lang Bang
dealers. It's understandable.