The brother’s letter is so moving. Do help in any way you can. The guy is barely out of his teens :( Amnesty:
On 3 November we issued a UA on Singapore , on behalf of Malaysian national Yong Vui Kong, who was sentenced to death for drug trafficking in Singapore in January 2009.He had exhausted his appeals by October, and can now escape execution only if the president grants clemency.
We have also recently received a copy of a letter of apology written by Yong’s brother, addressed to President S. R. Nathan and the people of Singapore, pleading for a pardon for Yong Vui Kong. With his permission, here are some excerpts from the letter:
“I hereby tender my sincere apology to all the people of Singapore regarding my brother’s wrongdoing. I sincerely hope that all of you will give him a chance to live by pardoning him of his death sentence and commute it into a life sentence so that, as a first offender, he could have an opportunity to turn over a new leaf. He is a remorseful youth now….
10-year old Vui Kong was unable to continue with his education…. Initially he became a kitchen help and he fell into bad company. Vui Kong was used by the so-clled “Big Brother” to be a runner to collect bad debts…. Vui Kong himself did not consume drugs, but from collecting bad debts, he was slowly tasked to delivering gifts. The young Vui Kong obeyed the instructions of “Big Brother” who said that delivering a little bit of drugs would not lead to death. Vui Kong fell into the trap of the drug trafficking syndicate.
His mother who suffers from depression does not know anything of his arrest…. My family and I conceal the truth from her as we are worried that she would not be able to take such a blow.
Although the chances of escaping death are very slim, I hope that all of you would give him a new lease of life and hope that Vui Kong would have an opportunity to live again and under the yellow ribbon scheme, he would be able to learn a skill in prison and make some contributions to society in the future.“
Please share this letter and send your appeal to the Singapore Embassy.
PLEASE SEND APPEALS TO:
President
His Excellency SR Nathan
Office of the President
Istana, Orchard Road
Singapore 0922
Fax: +65 6735 3135
Email: s_r_nathan@istana.gov.sg
Salutation: Your Excellency
OR
H.E. T Jasudasen High Commissioner
HIGH COMMISSION OF THE REPUBLIC OF SINGAPORE
209, Jalan Tun Razak 50400 Kuala Lumpur
E- mail : singhc_kul@sgmfa.gov.my
Fax : 603-2161 6343/2163 4875
Hi Nat,
WHATAFAK???
You might as well go help all those druggie inside Simpang Renggam prison.
You have nothing better to do??? Or is that you have ran out of topic to blog???
What the hell???? Everyone knows drug trafficking is a big offence…..
What the hell are you doing Nat????
Are you lack of supporters and looking for drug dealers and addicts to support you!!!!
I don’t think there are any chances at all. Have you forgotten a young 20+ Australian citizen of Vietnamese origin. Charged with drug trafficking. His case was even pleaded by the Australian Prime Minister who came to Singapore to have a talk with Lee Hsien Loong. And at the end, this young lad ends his life in the gallow afterall.
yes i am surprised too at this support for a drug dealer. i support spore’s judgement wholeheartedly.
What’s with all that flaming above? =( Doesnt Nat have the freedom to blog about what he believes as much as you think you have the freedom to go about criticising the views of others…
I’m of the opinion that Vui Kong should not be hanged. So just here to give my 2 cents and hopefully convince some people. =)
1. The druggies in Simpang Renggam prison – are they facing a death penalty? If they are, maybe they need help. If they aren’t, then they should be thankful that they have a chance to remedy their ways unlike Vui Kong here. Point: This case is indeed deserving of attention, contrary to your opinion, because it involves a life and death situation.
2. Everyone thinks they know that drug trafficking is a big time offence because they’ve been brought up to think that way, and apply these mindsets blindly to every drug trafficking case they come across. Well, I tell you solemnly, just because everyone thinks this way, doesnt mean that they are right. This is perhaps, what you’d call herd mentality and coupled with tyranny of the majority, it is really something terrible. Just because society is the one that decides to kill Vui Kong doesn’t make this act of murder any less sinful. You are merely supporting legalized killing because everyone else thinks it’s right. But I wonder, have you ever considered the moral grounds on which to support such an execution, especially in Vui Kong’s case? What benefit would it do to society, to kill someone who is already remorseful and unlikely to commit the same crime again? If you say deterrence, then you are making an already repentful person your scapegoat as a means to achieve an end that is not yet proven in itself.
http://www.helium.com/debates/66220-is-the-death-penalty-an-effective-crime-deterrent
3. Although drug trafficking harms people, it is through an indirect way. I believe that Vui Kong had no intention to harm drug consumers when he smuggled them in – his underlying stimulus was perhaps purely monetary return. Since he did not intend the harm directly, I think he should not be given such a strict sentence. Drug trafficking, I feel, is not as serious a crime as rape or murder or (maid/ child etc) abuse, which directly violates the human dignity. And yet, i find it strange that these more heinous crimes should have a lighter penalty than drug trafficking. Furthermore, this death penalty penalizes the person trafficking the drugs, but not the forces of supply (the kingpins) or demand (the consumers) that inspired the need for this “shipping service”. It does not solve any problem at all – because the supply of drugs and the demand for them will still be there, all the suppliers need to do is to find another poor, desperate, wretched soul, offer him a bunch of money to risk his neck, to keep their trade going.
4. I’d like to say to the 3rd commentor up there, I agree with there not being not much chance left, but in spite of that, I’ve already written in. This is because, I dont want to be part of the bystander effect, where all the bystanders know that something is wrong, but they wait for someone else to take the action. My point is, chance or no chance, if you just stand by and do nothing, this chance (of saving a life) will be even slimmer, not just to yourself, but to everyone who shares the same opinion as you.
End of 2 cents =D If anyone has other points of view (contrary or not), it might be good to add.
he deserve it.. i rather help those really in need..
clearly seej0002 is so longwinded in his/her comments but doesn’t know what she/he is talking about.
firstly, a murder is a murder. wether or not a drug dealer murders people directly or indirectly that’s not the point
secondly, the point is this vui kong character should have not brought the drugs to singapore in the 1st place. everyone in the world knows how strict singapore is to drug offenders. to say that you do not know the contents is a lame excuse to escape punishment. everyone has a choice. he already made his choice.
thirdly, all laws in the world must be respected. even malaysian government also give out death penalty to drugs offenders. maybe seej002 failed to see of what is happening to other countries who don’t have stiff sentence or punishment to drug traffickers.
by the way seej0002, people are not only concerned by the number of people killed by drugs but rather how drugs killed the moral system of a certain society.
NO ONE PERSON on earth has never done no wrong before, a wrong is a wrong no matter how insignicant or how severe is the issue.
I am here not to judge anyone but NO ONE has the right to play the role of God to terminate one’s precious life. Liking to whether a life is to be born or not from a pregnancy, is a course of nature.
Please go find someone who has never hurt anyone (for that matter even hurting oneself) before at any point in his life…….well, honestly you can’t because there isn’t someone like that. So be real and understand that nobody here is fair to say ‘ he deserves the death penalty’.
It is so easy to point a finger at those who did wrong, I am sure you are familiar with that very hand gesture, which actually has 3 fingers pointing back to ourselves….many many times because of our ‘fortunate’ situation, we could somewhat skipped ‘judgement/punishment’ but our conscience knows jolly well we have failed ourselves or others even though our misdeeds are not being ‘exposed’.
Unless you have the power to stop the Sun from rising every morning then you have the power to stop life! Please be merciful because at some point in life, Grace has bestowed upon us, may it be to a VIP or a person on the street…..
It’s hard to believe the crassness of some of the comments above! Hiding behind anonymous nicks so your cruel hearts will remain hidden when you meet your friends at a party? Come on, people, wake up! Stop parroting the official line on “the drug menace.” Why do you think drugs has become such a problem? look deep into your own soul before you say such ugly and mean things, please. Everybody deserves to live, even murderers and dog-killers. Why? Because a change of perspective from sinner to saint can occur in asingle heartbeat – that’s why! And it’s better to forgive than be avenged – this is how each of us can begin to grow spiritually. Not by pretending to be pious and going every Friday to the mosque or praying 5 times a day.
Have a heart, give people a chance. He might have harm a lot of others but give him a chance to repent, he might contribute 100 times much more to society then the amount of harm he brought into the society. A lot of us have nice home but we forget those living around us who doesn’t get to enjoy like us. Under a lot of circumstances, people might be force into something they don wan to be. Be more forgiving.
[...] wrote a bit about Vui Kong’s story and his brother’s heartfelt letter of appeal last November – and all through this time and longer, the poor boy has had death hanging over [...]
If you let him go then chances are he will do it again. He’s been at it since he was 10. What makes you think he will change. If you want to save the world go talk to kids in the orphanage who haven’t turned 10 yet. Remember that this is what happens when you fail
Dont hang him pls………let him change, and turn into a new leaf.
Send a message to all drug traffickers that if VUI KONG can change, so can them…………
@ Iman
I fully agree with you. When one makes a choice knowing the consequences, one should face the consequences. Moreover, how fair is this to the families of other similar offenders who were hanged for their crimes? This will open an unwanted legal precedent for other drug traffickers to rationalize their offence.
@ Andrea
I guess you are a Christian from your point of argument. If so, then you should know that God had already given the right to terminate the life of certain classes of criminals to ruling authorities, unless you had never read the Pentateuch of the Bible.
@ Antares
Or the change can also never occur at all, as is all too often the case. I speak from the point of experience and most offenders simply repeat their crimes after showing “remorse” just to get their sentences commuted to a lighter one. His past acts simply show that the offence WILL be repeated.
If his sentence were really commuted to life imprisonment, what next? They are going to take it one step further and try to push for parole so that he can be released to repeat his ways. Just wait and see.
People who speak up for the traffickers and their families have never been in the shoes of the families and friends of drug addicts, whose lives are practically wrecked and torn apart.
@ Girl
It may be true that some are forced by circumstances to engage in criminal activities, but the choice is always there. There are those righteous souls who choose to eke out a meager existence or even forsake their lives rather than choose to do something that is against their moral conscience. Even though they continue to struggle in life, they are respectable people because they made the right choice despite adversity.
As long as the choice is there, the consequences must be faced. The desire for a more comfortable life can never be an excuse for the far reaching negative effects that a person’s criminal ways can cause.
no one has the right to take someone’s precious life away except GOD!…all the current social illnesses around us today could have been avoided if we ever have a more caring society & a wise government. meaning that each & everyone of us here have to bear the responsibilities for whatever mess we are in today.
singapore’s justice system meantime could do better than imposing a death sentence on a young offender without considering the factors behind the wrongdoing. what a shame to do so as its decision seems to be totally against the motto of its penal service which is a big ….”CAPTAINS OF LIVES…Rehab.Renew.Restart”. In this case, this poor soul is not even given an opportunity to repent, what else to be rehabilitated for a chance to restart…..in my opinion, these guys in the system are just out there to finish their work quick but not thinking of its effectiveness. mind you, there are much more serious crimes out there which deserve a death penalty but this case in particular deserve a reconsideration of sentence as it’s involving a human life. May GOD bless you all!
This is my letter to Mr.President. Send him your thoughts.
God bless
——————————————————————————————–
from Leslie Andrew
to s_r_nathan@istana.gov.sg,k_shanmugam@mlaw.gov.sg,stonline@sph.com.sg, singemb_was@sgmfa.gov.sg
dateMon, Jul 19, 2010 at 5:20 PM
subjectPlease read my letter before discarding it. Appeal for Yong Vui Kong
mailed-bygmail.com
hide details 5:20 PM (2 minutes ago)
Dear His Excellency SR Nathan,
I urge you to pardon this young man from death sentence. This long waited trial has drained and exhausted this young man from any hope to escape execution.
The emotional pain of waiting for his execution is surely unbearable. Isn’t this a sufficient harsh punishment.
Every boy will look up to his father as his hero. A man that will catch him when he falls and that will console him in times of failure. A man that will correct and rebuke him for his mistakes. Yong has no father to turn to for salvation. Can you be a father to him please. The man that saves his life.
Everyone makes mistake and it makes us grow up to be a better man. In an incident in the Bible, Jesus gave the accused prostitue a second chance. He instructed her to repent and not to return to her old ways. In this context, Yong had prostituted himself too. Not with a woman but with drugs. If God our creator approves second chance for prostitutes, why not we give him a chance too. Be a father to him as Jesus did to the prostitute.
Growing up in dysfunctional family has made him rebellious. This is the way he fights back the reality of his collapsed family. With many families are at the verge of collapsing, we will surely find many young man mushrooming to be rebellious. The resistance we experience from drug will mount up and capital punishment will not completely wipe out drugs from Singapore. Capital punishment is only an artificial approach for deterance from drug. We need to be creative in finding other methods as solution.
Please be courageous and stand against the tide. Singapore needs a man to advocate new changes. You do not have an opportunity to change your decision after his death. With power comes great responsibility that includes creating your own waves of changes. Leave a legacy for Singapore.
Thank you for reading my letter.
Note : I have started wondering why capital punishment has not completely weed out drugs useage and traficking from Malaysia. If this approach is good, why is there continuous persisting problems ?
Regards,
Leslie Nadarajah @ Malaysia
I read with sadness re: the sentence on V.Kong. The draconian death sentence on drug traffikers I feel is not the solution to the drug problem. Drug traffikers should instead be given a 2nd chance to change themselves for the better in a long prison rehabilitation. We all deserve a 2nd chance on any wrong doing we may have done. Nobody is perfect and has never done anything that we’re ashamed of, it’s just that many of us were never exposed.
Disappointed.
it’s so easy for people out there to justify this young man but have you guys ever think that what happen if this kind of thing happen to your very own family members? and for billions of parents out there, have you ever think of what happen if that’s your own child who did the offence? i’m not saying that vui kong is absulutely innocent and he is not supposed to be punish, but there are many ways of punishment. and i’m very sure that no one could ever killed thier own children for thier serious offence. it is better to give those young people a 2nd chance to repent rather than kill him for his wrongdoings. and for those mean comments, pls be mercy to vui kong’s family member especially to his mother and siblings, could you guys ever imagine how they’d feel to catch up with those really really mean comments.