This could've been anyone one here...

[duckman]

I challenge you to remain rational in that situation.

Jim, What would you have done in his situation ??

[James Deuce]

Jim, What would you have done in his situation ??

Something pretty irrational. I'm horribly self-aware, and I know I would have screwed up. I always do when I'm under mega-personal stress.

[kerryg]

http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,3498636a10,00.html

Read it and then tell me that you didn't feel something for this man.

You can dress it up as fraternal love or what you like but I feel no empathy for him whatsoever. He had 400gms of heroin on him, enough for 26000-odd doses. He put the welfare of 1 individual, his brother, a drug addict deeply in debt to his criminal suppliers ahead of the welfare of who knows how many people? It was a grossly selfish act, his twin brother or our children....you choose.. You can't justify it from any angle.

I feel for his mother though. And capital punishment is barbarism.

[Sniper]

He was only human. It just proves that nobody is perfect. Im still in trouble from the day I found out my 14yr old sister was taking party pills. The guy who sold them to her will never move his elbow properly and Im fucking lucky I don't have a police record in Aus cause of it.

I realise there were other ways to deal with the situation, but my want to look after my family was too strong. I can see what got this guy into trouble and I can see where Jim is coming from.

[Hitcher]

The issue here, surely, is the penalty. I believe that no person has the right to kill another, including as "punishment" for murder or other crimes involving the death of others. Countries that espouse and routinely practice death penalties are barbaric and have no place in a civilised world, particularly those that should know better, such as the United States of America. They should be treated with appropriate scorn and derision.

There is no evidence anywhere to suggest that capital punishment acts as a deterent for criminals, including terrorists. There is no retribution for people wrongfully convicted. And "revenge killing" should not be encouraged or practiced by governments.

I note a recent news item that State legislatures in the USA have, in total, murdered 1,000 people since the Supreme Court allowed the reintroduction of the death penalty in 1976. Appalling.

[spudchucka]

Nguyen Tuong Van, 25, was arrested at Changi Airport with 396.2 grams of heroin strapped to his body. His botched smuggling run was meant to generate cash to pay the debts of his drug-addicted twin.

Isn't it ironic, don't ya think...






I feel sorry for him but really, what the hell was he thinking?

[sAsLEX]

There is no evidence anywhere to suggest that capital punishment acts as a deterent for criminals, including terrorists.

exactly, making them live with pigs and only having pork and bacon to eat would offend them far greater than being made in to a Martyr

[Yokai]

I believe that no person has the right to kill another, including as "punishment" ...

Me either - if murder is wrong then state-sanctioned murder is wrong

Countries that espouse and routinely practice death penalties are barbaric and have no place in a civilised world, particularly those that should know better, such as the United States of America.

Hmmm - slight issue here - the USA has allowed the individual state to manage its sentencing and punishment. While as you state:

State legislatures in the USA have, in total, murdered 1,000 people since the Supreme Court allowed the reintroduction of the death penalty in 1976.

it is not a federally imposed sentence. It is specifically up to the states. There are very few federally imposed sentences - it is up to the federal legislature to govern the consistency of the law, NOT the consistency of the punishment. There are reasons for this - the largest being that imposing a massive federal system would be slow, cumbersome and far more prone to abuse than a decentralised system that can be audited by federal agents.

The Death Row problem is arguably because of bleeding heart liberals like me. If the federal government reduced the number of appeals in capital cases to the same as in state felonies, then the queues would be shortened and the "cruel and unusual" would no longer be "unusual" (I'll ignore the "cruel" bit). If you have a state that says "death to mimes!" and commits that sentence within 3 weeks of 3rd appeal (as felony sentencing is currently SUPPOSED to be carried out in the 48 contiguous states), then only a few mimes are on death row...

More important in this situation is the removal of the process which led to this poor unfortunate making such a bad decision or series of decisions.

[Sensei]

Just wondering how you would feel if these Drug's where to be put into one of your own Kid's ARM & then have them Die !! Fuck the Munter He knew now he Pay's with His Life !! not the Poor people that where going to Shoot it up ! Let him Die Quickly .

[*sic]

rip... not cool but he took his chances and has now paid the price

[Biff]

I know where you're coming from Jim, however I, like most sane people, wouldn't dream of importing drugs to a country that carried a mandatory death sentence just to help my brother out with some debt. And an evil, nasty drug at that.

If he'd just driven down Orchard road (in Sing), bought a shit load of MP3 players and brought them back here he'd have made some decent money selling them legally. Tis what I do. Tis what loads of people on Trade Me do.

I do feel sorry for his family though, and I couldn't help thinking about this guy and his poor family this morning when I awoke. I hope his family find the strength to help them through this horrendous time. Especially his brother - who must really feel like shit for being told he was the reason his brother was importing drugs, and because of which his brother must now be executed. Thanks bro.

[**R1**]

This is just me but .....I love my family and would do anything, and I mean anything... to help them out bad or good, some of us are blessed with the brains to solve problems in a sensible manner and some of us are not, plain and simple, I mean if some drug dealing gangsters were going to fuk you and your fammily up over a dept, but offered you a way out wouldnt ya take it?? risky or not, if you couldnt see any other way out im sure you would, I bet he didnt ask his brother to tick up a bunch of drugs....

Im not sure I agree with the death penalty for drugs, for murder and kiddy fidling sure... but thats just my opinion, argue all ya like I dont care!!

I bet he's shitting him self about now it was a dumb arse thing to do sure, but so is speeding, wheelies, runners, drink driving, and how many of us have never dun any of those.....

[kerryg]

I believe that no person has the right to kill another, including as "punishment" for murder or other crimes involving the death of others.

Hitcher, I really could not agree with you more.

I read somwehere that George Orwell, when he was a journalist, attended an execution and as the condemned man was escorted to the gallows he carefully avoided stepping in a puddle. At that moment Orwell decided that the death penalty was not something that one human should visit on another, that there is some inherent human dignity, that there is some inviolable prohibition that the death penalty violates.

Let criminals be imprisoned, let them make reparation, give something back pehaps...but civilised communities do not kill fellow humans in cold blood.

[The_Dover]

I don't agree with the death penalty for smuggling offences, would you expect to be put to death for taking a bottle of scotch into a muslim country? Murder and rape yes, and some other violent crimes but not drugs smuggling.

Drugs are bad, mm'kay?

Fuck up, alcohol is just as evil and ruins many more lifes worldwide but we still all hit the piss at the weekends. Fuck even Queen Vic liked to chase the dragon but the modern world has demonised a lot of narcotic use because some churchie wanker decided it wasn't good, mm'kay. I don't condone the use of class A's by any means and I think people need to be better educated as to the risks and effects but the biggest killer in all of this is society. Most rich drug addicts don't die, the poor ones do.

[WRT]

My 2 cents - to want to help your family is noble, and its a cold hearted person that says otherwise. To smuggle drugs, especially into somewhere such as Singapore is stupid, dangerous and wrong in more ways that you can count. He knew the risks, he knew the punishment if it all went wrong. He himself apparently came to terms with this before his death (assuming it went ahead at 11:00 our time), I hope his family can do the same.

You wont find me campaigning to get people in his shoes released from their sentence, but I do feel saddened by the whole situation, by his predicament, his brothers, the rest of his family, the state of the legal system in Singapore, the drug trade and society in general. There are some great evils out there, and ones that must be addressed - by us all.

“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” - Edmund Burke.