Goodbye Van

[Toucan]

In about 3 hours after I make this post, Australian citizen Van Nguyen will be hanged to death in the gallows of Singapore's Changi prison.

The government of Australia has urged the Singaporean government for clemency for the past 3 years. He is being executed for the crime of smuggling heroin through Singapore's customs (360g of it).

In Australia he would have received around 10 year’s jail time. In the US I believe the charge would have a carried a similar jail time, perhaps more depending on the state, but he would not be put to death.

The fact is when the US had an Australian on death row and we pleaded for clemency the US government granted it, staying his execution in favour of life with out parol.

Our law is such that no matter where an Australian commits a crime, anywhere in the world, they will be punished when they get home.

Every Australian is accountable to Australian law at all times no matter where they are in the world.

Every government knows this.

But anyway I’m just rambling on, because this has upset me a bit.



Goodbye Van, we tried mate, we really did.

:cry:

[GrassDragon]

When you go to another country you play by their rules.

[Toucan]

When you go to another country you play by their rules.
Im not going to argue with that point GD.
Im not saying I think think there scum for following there criminal code.
In fact I dont know what Im really saying.
I find this upsetting, thats all.

[BlackHawk]

Maybe he shouldn't have attempted to smuggle the heroine into Singapore in the first place?

[GrassDragon]

Im not going to argue with that point GD.
Im not saying I think think there scum for following there criminal code.
In fact I dont know what Im really saying.
I find this upsetting, thats all.
I understand. I can see how it's distressing to see one of your own citizens punished harshly because they're in another country.

[Toucan]

Maybe he shouldn't have attempted to smuggle the heroine into Singapore in the first place?
He wasnt trying to smuggle heroin into Singapore, he was trying to smuggle heroin into Australia, he was in transit through Singapore.
Not that it matters, but that was what was going on.

[GenocideAlive]

Well, many felt similarly when an American citizen got a government-sanctioned martial-arts beating + fine for spraypainting cars. He was a jackass for doing it and should probably have gotten some punishment, sure--but scarring his body and traumatizing him seemed barbaric. Similarly, having 360g of a controlled pleasure-drug and being killed for it seems ridiculous. It's sort of a sad testament to what happens when you take the death penalty as a media tool.

But I wonder how large of a message they're sending when they say "Don't Bring Drugs Through Singapore" through his execution. Stiff upper lip, Toucan. You fuck with the bull, you get the horns.

[Hawthorne]

SHould I mention that 1 Australian guy isn't as serious. 6 Bulgarian medics ( 5 women and 1 man ) + 1 Palestinian doctor are being held in Libya for around 6-7 years now and they were accused of, guess what giving HIV to over 400 children ON PURPOSE. The interesting things:

1. The only evidence the libyans have got is testements beaten out of the medics.
2. The EU, USA, numerous numbers of countries have pleaded against the death sentence that will be given if they are g\ulty.
3. Renowned scientists have proven ( and that's aroudn 10-20 of the most famous ones ) that the HIV was caused by the obviously more than poor conditions of the hospitals.
4. The so called victim's parents/family ( dead children from HIV ) want the medics dead, they don't give a shit about the fact that it's been proven Libya is a state of iidiots when it comes to hospitals, they just want to see blood because they're uneducated, poor and obviously dumb.

Another interesting things that might be known by Liverpool fans:

A Liverpool fan was accused of 15 years of prison in Bulgaria for attempted murder of a barman, he hit him with a brick, and I mean a hell of a brick, was seen by 10 people doing it, and was accused and senteced to a Bulgarian jail ( This happened during the CSKA Sofia : Liverpool matches for the Champions League ).

Now everything is proven, the British main leading judges have said that the trial was fair, the 10 people that saw him weren't drunk or anything, everything is all right.

But:

1. The accused and sentenced''s parents plead for hm mercy? Or better yet they want Tony Blair to make something? - Maybe they want him to stop us from entering the EU, or do something I have no idea. The only people who help them are guess who the FANATICAL BRITISH LIVERPOOL FANS.

The point in all of this, Toucan27 is:

1. Shit happens all the time, most of it is aimed at Bulgaria.
2. 1 less smugler of heroin dead - nothing bad.

Oh yeah before I forgot exactly in 1 HOUR AND 30 MINUTES, after I made this post, Australian citizen Van Nguyen will be hanged to death in the gallows of Singapore's Changi prison.

Hawthorne - Life

[Xenon]

The punishment may seem harsh, but when you're in another country you're subject to their laws. Don't go stealing in Saudi Arabia, or you might get your hand cut off. Harsh for sure, but the crime rate is real low in those countries with stiff penalties. I'd say it's a pretty good tradeoff. If you don't want to get executed, don't smuggle drugs. Most muslim countries have the same penalties for various things, including drug smuggling. If you deal in narcotics, and you get caught in a muslim country, then you're probably going to end up swinging from the hangman's rope.

Personally, I'm a big fan of the death penalty, and a big fan of large, messy public executions. When you see someone jerking around on the end of a rope, it really puts the fear of breaking the law into you.

As far as I can see, he's just getting what he deserves. He's admitted to the smuggling drugs, he doesn't deny it. If you can't handle the consequences, don't do the crime.

[Sikawtic]

I think we should face harder punishments in America too... drugs ruin peoples lives, so if you're caught selling/smuggling it, maybe you deserve to die. We would have less druggies.

So I'm just echoing what Xe said basically, bigger punishments = less crime. less crime = better lives etc.

[Toucan]

At 6am Perth times this Morning (GMT +8 or 9am AEDT)
Van Nguyen was executed.
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,10117,17431097-2,00.html

[Xenon]

Woo! There is justice in this world after all! :D