I'm very sad tonight -I feel that a life has been wrongly taken

[RFKHumphreyObama]

I know that this has not been much of an issue in the US media because it doesn’t concern an American citizen but it has been receiving extensive coverage here in Australia. Today a 25-year old Australian citizen of Vietnamese descent was executed in Singapore for smuggling over the legal amount of heroin. He had actually not purchased the heroin in Singapore nor was he transporting the heroin to Singapore –he was arrested while in transit on a flight to Australia
http://bulletin.ninemsn.com.au/bulletin/site/articleIDs/437E1BEF1E558EA8CA2570BF006CD42F
http://smh.com.au/news/world/one-last-touching-joke-before-the-end/2005/12/02/1133422108704.html
http://smh.com.au/news/world/death-of-compassion/2005/12/02/1133422108767.html?page=fullpage#contentSwap2

Let me emphasize that I AM NOT CONDONING DRUG SMUGGLING IN ANY SHAPE OR FORM. I believe it to be an abhorrent practice and I believe those involved in it should be punished and punished comprehensively. I also feel immense pain, grief and sympathy for the families affected by drug abuse –and to those of you on DU I extend my sincere thoughts and heartfelt prayers

But I’m also against having a mandatory death policy for a certain offence where mitigating factors cannot be taken into account. And I think it was wrong for Singapore to apply a mandatory death sentence for a person who wasn’t importing or exporting drugs into their country –he should certainly have been punished but I think that may have been slightly excessive. I understand the need to take a tough stance against drugs but I think this went slightly too far

The sad thing is that the people and drug bosses who actually get their kicks out of exploiting young people desperate for money and subsequently supplying drugs which destroy so many thousands of innocent young lives will not have as harsher penalties as some of their smugglers because they will have the good sense to be caught in countries with more lenient punishments

His poor mother was the person I felt the most sorry for. She had brought her two sons over from Vietnam as refugees at the end of the Vietnam War and her son executed last night had assumed responsibility for looking after both his mother and his brother at a young age. She had no idea her son was participating in this and she has looked absolutely distraught over the past few years as her son has stared down the death penalty. She was praying for him in Church as he was executed last night while his brother was at the prison

I just feel this has been a tremendous waste of life but my sadness also extends deeper -for the victims of drug abuse and their families, for the family of Van Nguyen and for a promising young man who took a wrong turn in life and who has now paid a terrible price

It's just sadness all around