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Nguyen Tuong Van Prepares for Death at Dawn

By Jeralyn, Section Foreign Affairs
Posted on Thu Dec 01, 2005 at 03:05:07 PM EST
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Bump and Update: The church bells have rung. Australia may not be willing to impose trade sanctions on Singapore, but I am. I will never visit or buy any piece of goods made in Singapore until they rescind the death penalty for drug traffickers.

Update: At 5pm ET, which is 6am Singapore time, Nguyen will have a black hood placed over his head and be walked to the gallows. At his Melbourne church in Australia, bells will toll twenty-five times, one for each year of his life. By all accounts, Nguyen is at peace and will walk confidently to his violent death.

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25 year old Nguyen Tuong Van will be hanged at dawn in Singapore for a drug offense. His lawyer says he is in "a beautiful state of mind."

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

Lasry also spoke of Nguyen's calm and dignity in the face of his own death. "We've just had a beautiful last visit. It was a great visit and quite uplifting," Lasry said, apparently struggling to maintain his own composure.

The High Commissioner of Singapore today defended the execution, as the Australian Government, having failed to stop it diplomatically, called it "barbaric."

Attorney-General Philip Ruddock branded Nguyen's impending execution as abhorrent, especially because the sentence was mandatory and mitigating circumstances were ignored. "It's a most unfortunate, barbaric act that is occurring," Ruddock told Sky television Thursday.

No word yet on whether Nguyen's mother will be allowed to give her son a hug on his way to the gallows.

Australian readers weigh in here.

Update: Singapore will let Nguyen's mother and brother hold his hand before going to the gallows. No hug.

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    Nguyen Tuong Van Prepares for Death at Dawn | 9 comments (9 topical)
    Re: Nguyen Tuong Van Prepares for Death at Dawn (none / 0) (#1)
    by Dadler on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:06:34 PM EST
    Peace. Have a safe journey. Wish us well on the other side.

    Re: Nguyen Tuong Van Prepares for Death at Dawn (none / 0) (#2)
    by kdog on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:06:34 PM EST
    Personally, I don't think I could go to the noose quietly. I'd fight with all I've got and make the bastards shoot me.

    Re: Nguyen Tuong Van Prepares for Death at Dawn (none / 0) (#3)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:06:34 PM EST
    Even better than economic sanctions would be a formal declaration that Australia, New Zealand, the United States and other concerned countries agree not to provide military aid or sell military equipment to Singapore and agree not to defend it in the event a invasion or insurrection. For example, U.S. Defense contractors have been permitted to sell Singapore unmanned military surface vessels (drone boats) for patrol use, and this could be ended. Small countries can't afford to be renegades in the face of serious international disapproval. And barbaric regimes generally shouldn't be propped up for foreign military assistance. Also, unlike economic sanctions, this doesn't make the average person suffer.

    Re: Nguyen Tuong Van Prepares for Death at Dawn (none / 0) (#5)
    by glanton on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:06:34 PM EST
    Hear, hear TL. I'm with you on the Singapore boycott--and I wish this story could crack into prominance with the larger media, here and across the globe, to enlist the possibility for a large-scale snubbing of that barbaric geographic blight.

    Re: Nguyen Tuong Van Prepares for Death at Dawn (none / 0) (#4)
    by Edger on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:06:35 PM EST
    HUNDREDS of lawyers gathered at the heart of Melbourne's legal precinct today to mark the execution of drug runner Van Tuong Nguyen and to protest against Singapore's mandatory death penalty. Prominent Victorian QC Robert Richter...said Australia was the intended victim for Nguyen's crime and as a victim it did not want him "judicially murdered". "There is something entirely chilling about the state apparatus cold bloodedly, wantonly and obscenely killing a human being," Mr Richter said. "We need to campaign hard and permanently in order to make sure that this does not happen again. Lawyers pay respect for Nguyen From: AAP By Kate Lahey December 02, 2005

    Re: Nguyen Tuong Van Prepares for Death at Dawn (none / 0) (#6)
    by Nowonmai on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:06:35 PM EST
    Singapore is an artificial society, an experiment in social engineering. It's souless there, with all the rules and regulations, the barbaric mandatory death sentences, and no heart at all. What disgusted me was the almost joyful, gleeful way the bastards acted and spoke about killing this foolish young man. If there is a heaven, he will be there. And his killers will not.

    Re: Nguyen Tuong Van Prepares for Death at Dawn (none / 0) (#7)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:06:35 PM EST
    Even better than economic sanctions would be a formal declaration that Australia, New Zealand, the United States......
    Sure, I can see that happening....the United States boycotting Singapore because they execute people!! As the great Arnold Schwarzenegger once said in True Lies, when asked if he had killed people, "Yes, but they were all bad!" The outrage should be directed as strongly to the killing machine ay home

    Re: Nguyen Tuong Van Prepares for Death at Dawn (none / 0) (#8)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:06:37 PM EST
    Singapore is serious about fighting a "war" on drugs. In real wars people die. I really hate the term "war on drugs." What BS.

    Re: Nguyen Tuong Van Prepares for Death at Dawn (none / 0) (#9)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:06:37 PM EST
    Posted by ohwilleke at December 1, 2005 04:35 PM Even better than economic sanctions would be a formal declaration that Australia, New Zealand, the United States and other concerned countries agree not to provide military aid or sell military equipment to Singapore and agree not to defend it in the event a invasion or insurrection. For example, U.S. Defense contractors have been permitted to sell Singapore unmanned military surface vessels (drone boats) for patrol use, and this could be ended. What a load of DRIVEL. Australia and the U.S. have INVADED AN INNOCENT FORIEGN COUNTRY AND MURDERED THOUSANDS OF THEIR PEOPLE and you guys wish to place sanctions on SINGAPORE for knocking off a convicted criminal, who stood to gain financially for ruining untold lives by his actions ?????????????????????? Excuse me, but is it just me, that sees the hypocrisy here ???

    Nguyen Tuong Van Prepares for Death at Dawn | 9 comments (9 topical)