Malaysian Yong Vui Kong was only 19 when he was arrested in Singapore in June 2007 and charged with trafficking 47gm of heroin. He was sentenced in January 2009 under the Misuse of Drugs Act which carries a mandatory death sentence for anyone caught trafficking more than 15gm of heroin, 30gm of cocaine or 500gm of cannabis. Yong's lawyer Ravi Madasamy has urged a moratorium on the mandatory death penalty in Singapore until the outcome of his appeal is decided.
By Koh Yi Na
SINGAPORE, Wednesday, 9 December 2009 - In a surprise decision, the Court of Appeal has granted [Sabah-born] Yong Vui Kong, who faces execution for a drug trafficking conviction, an opportunity to have his appeal heard.
Following an hour-long hearing on Tuesday morning, the judges nullified his previous withdrawal of appeal and accepted Yong’s application for an extension of time. This would allow him to file an appeal against his conviction and death sentence.
Yong’s lawyer, Ravi Madasamy, had initially been pessimistic about securing the extension of time, given the nature of previous decisions and his own experience with capital cases. While he knew “the present judiciary is forward-looking,” he did not know how the Court would react to his arguments.
Therefore when the judge ruled in favour of hearing the appeal, he was pleasantly surprised, describing it as a “fantastic outcome.”
No date has been set for the appeal hearing, but it could be as early as next month, according to Mr Ravi. He has been informed by the registrar to go to court this Friday to set a date for it.
His execution is stayed pending the outcome of this appeal.
[Read the full story here and here.]
World Day Against The Death Penalty (Singapore)
Watch the entire forum on YouTube!
My personal view on the absurdity (not to mention the inhumanity) of trying to fight "the drug menace" by hanging traffickers...
Heroin is a psychic painkiller derived from morphine, a physical painkiller that gained popular use during the First World War for acute battle injuries. Every heroin addict I have met actually suffers from severe emotional trauma and feel they have to take something to numb their psychic pain.
Those of us strong enough to soldier on without painkillers can consider ourselves fortunate, but we don’t have to become unfeeling and soulless about our less robust friends.
Alas, almost every form of therapy for addictive personalities (whether the drug be heroin, alcohol, crystal amphetamine or cocaine) has turned out unpredictable with at least 50% of regressions. This leads me to conclude that, ultimately, addictive personalities become a burden on their families and communities only when the substance to which they are addicted becomes exorbitantly priced.
In effect, the more illegal the substance, the higher its street value. Having researched the subject for years I’ve drawn the inevitable conclusion that criminalizing any kind of drug is actually a racket – a game being played by very powerful crime syndicates working in cahoots with law enforcement agencies.
Sometimes I suspect governments deliberately allow a certain percentage of their youth to become addicted, so they won’t turn to political activism and topple an unjust system.
One can never be too cynical about big business, big government and big crime – because only too often it’s the same cast of control freaks switching roles. For example, it’s becoming clear that the most efficient drug smuggling operations on earth are being carried out by the CIA who work in tandem with the Mafia. The money is often laundered through innocuous fronts like the Vatican Bank and used to finance black ops to keep certain political dynasties in power.
It’s a very complicated subject but I’d like more people to start giving what I say some serious thought. Google the subject if you wish but be warned that your worldview will never again be the same!
In conclusion, I advocate the decriminalization of all drugs. No punishment, no crime. No official ban, no big profits, no thrill of rebellion against paternal authority from consuming illicit substances. Within a few years, no drug problem.
Those already hooked will be able to maintain their habits without turning to crime – and anytime they wish to quit they can be offered emotional therapy to heal their wounded souls. Every life has value.
[First posted 10 December 2009]