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Nguyen murdered in Singapore

injustice | 02.12.2005 01:11 | Analysis | Health | Repression | World

"We are here to demonstrate our opposition to capital punishment, as a mark of respect to the family of Van Nguyen and as a mark of solidarity for two of our members who in the fine tradition of the Victorian Bar have acted pro bono and for the last three years fought to save the life of Van Nguyen," he said.

Opposition to capital punishment
Opposition to capital punishment


Khoa Nguyen
waits outside
Changi prison
as his brother
is murdered.

The execution murder in Singapore of Australian drug trafficker Van Nguyen has been confirmed.

In a break from convention, Singapore's Government has issued a statement formally confirming the 25-year-old was hanged this morning.

"The sentence was carried out this morning at Changi Prison," the Ministry of Home Affairs statement said.

The 25-year-old from Melbourne was sentenced to death after being convicted of trying to smuggle nearly 400 grams of heroin through Changi Airport.

As daybreak approached, Nguyen's brother, Khoa, arrived at Changi Prison with a number of his friends.

He left after spending more than an hour in the visitors' centre during the time the execution was scheduled.

Lawyer Julian McMahon told reporters they wanted to be at the wall of the jail at the scheduled time for the execution.

Mr McMahon says Nguyen's mother was with friends and relatives at a nearby church at the scheduled time of the hanging.

He said the Australian High Commission had agreed to formally identify Nguyen's body after the hanging.

Mr McMahon says funeral arrangements have been made and it is expected the family will fly out to Australia tomorrow.

Mr McMahon spoke to reporters about the last moments between Nguyen and his mother.

"Well I actually wasn't in the room when that happened but there was a grill and they were able to hold each other's hands and Kim was able to, at least for some time, I'm not sure how long, was able to touch Van on the face," he said.

Church services

Masses have been held in cities around the country to mark the execution.

In Melbourne, the bell tolled 25 times at St Ignatius Catholic Church in Richmond - once for each year of Nguyen's life.

Members of Victoria's Criminal Bar Association gathered outside the County Court in Melbourne to observe a minute's silence for Nguyen.

Stephen Shirrefs, the vice-chairman of the association, says they support the fight against the mandatory death penalty.

"We are here to demonstrate our opposition to capital punishment, as a mark of respect to the family of Van Nguyen and as a mark of solidarity for two of our members who in the fine tradition of the Victorian Bar have acted pro bono and for the last three years fought to save the life of Van Nguyen," he said.

At Martin Place in Sydney, a Vietnamese gong also sounded 25 times.

A crowd gathered and maintained a silent vigil.

Churchgoers in Brisbane have also prayed for Nguyen and expressed hopes the events of today are not taken for granted.

Fr Peter Dillon led the congregation at St Stephen's Cathedral in a prayer calling for an end to executions.

Fr Dillon says he fears today's execution will have little impact on the drug trade.

"I sadly think, unfortunately, and this is the insidiousness of the drug culture, I think it's just another dead body for the drug world. And there's thousands of them everyday, so I don't think they're going to be moved by all this," he said.

Candles lit for Nguyen Tuong Van

They say they hope his death will not be in vain.

 http://sydney.indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=61644&group=webcast







injustice

Comments

Hide the following 3 comments

A painful lesson

02.12.2005 16:57

buying and selling large quanities of drugs are illegal in Singapor. He knew the laws and knew the results.

Lesson learned...

kelly


'lesson learned'?

02.12.2005 19:04

Only, he's not alive for that lesson to be 'learned', and Nguyen's family have to live with the grief of losing him. Shanmugam Murugesu was also executed in Singapore this year despite repeated pleas by the international community to commute his sentence. He was charged with importing cannabis, and left two sons. NO-ONE has the right to take away another person's life, even if they have committed a crime. What's more, when we execute people, we will never know whether they were guilty. In the meantime poverty and crime continues.

SG


Why Van case makes ppl sad!!

27.12.2005 11:03

Van's death to me did effect many people around the world it even effect the people that never knew him or seen him I’m one of them. Some nights i sit alone or with many guest around me i always think of Van and imagine what the gallows scene looks like and how did he feel and the pain that he felt .I don’t know him but after he left us and went 2 another world far away from here i really think something big was missing and didn’t feel right. His death was planned by stranger and his life ending in a big crash, they didn’t have permission to take anyone’s life from them, you see he did bad but you can’t solve it by ending it with capital punishment a cruel cold blooded way. Making the supporters, friends and family having to through the pain of losing a lovely son, a caring brother and a loyal friend they didn’t deserve to go through this. After all that had happened i surely know Singapore will lose many tourists by this, now when i hear the world Singapore I know it’s the cold blooded country. I know we have to respect the rules of each countries but don’t you think what Singapore did was a brutal way of ending someone’s life, the worst part was they did not let van’s mother Kim nguyen giving them a chance to receive the final hug and the feel of each other before his life ended. I know that Nguyen wouldn’t want us to sit and cry about his death he wants us to move on but I hope in the future that Khoa and Kim Nguyen will have a normal life again and never end up in any of this case or situation again. Most of you don’t care about the case and even say he deserves to die but if it was your owned family member, a relative or a friend you will think very different and now you really know how it feels to lose a love one in a way like this. “God bless the Nguyen’s family”!!!!! Van really didn’t deserve to die like that don’t you think? Let Capital punishment end as soon as possible incase your close members will be in a case like Van. (( He did this not because of his own behalf but his family was going through a tough time and he was threaten by other shark loaders he borrow money from, if the money doesnt return in time his whole family will be dead or hurt.Him risking his own life to save the people he loved the most.After i read this passage i dont understand why singapore still went their own way killing a young caring man that didnt desevre to die one wrong mistake no second chances you took him away from our world.

ViVi