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

[RFKHumphreyObama]

1. Loving son's letters from death row

Nguyen Tuong Van reveals the pain of missing his mother. Mark Russell reports.

With five days to go before his execution in Singapore, letters written by Nguyen Tuong Van reveal a young man's monumental struggle to come to terms with his fate.

In letters obtained by The Sunday Age, Nguyen, 25 — who is due to be hanged on Friday — tells of his innermost thoughts and the pain he feels at missing his mother since being condemned to die on March 20 last year for drug smuggling.

<snip>

"Amidst these score of painful revelations an unspoken truth was exposed. I found myself in deep sorrow for the true victims; the families of those whom suffer as a result of losing a loved one to drugs. This truth has put many things in perspective for me."

http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2005/11/26/1132966006680.html

[LisaLynne]

2. Oh, that is very sad.

Regardless of stances on the death penalty in general, I've never been a fan of mandatory sentences because they leave no room for the gray mess that is life. I wish things were always black and white, but they aren't and I think it's tragic when that isn't taken into account.

[2bfree]

3. It is sad, for everyone.

I don't believe in the death penalty and this proves that it isn't a deterrent when drug smuggling continues with these people knowing that death is the price they will pay if caught. I feel for that poor mother and of course the son who made such bad choices but at the same time I think of my sister who died almost 2 years ago from a heroine overdose.

[RFKHumphreyObama]

4. I'm very sorry to hear about your sister

My thoughts, prayers, condolences and deepest sympathies to you and your family -I cannot even imagine what it must have been like for you

It is true that drug abuse is a tragedy for all sides involved and a tragic cycle which causes endless pain, grief and sadness. I'm profoundly sorry that you and your family have had to endure what you have gone through :hug: