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Van Tuong Nguyen (Vietnamese: Nguyễn Tường Vân, born August 17, 1980) is a Vietnamese-Australian convicted of drug trafficking in Singapore. His crime carries a mandatory death sentence under the Misuse of Drugs Act. Despite pleas of clemency from the Australian government and others he faces execution by hanging at 6 ] SGT on December 2 2005.
Arrest
On December 12 2002 Nguyen was on his first trip overseas from Australia since immigration from Thailand as a child. After a flight from Phnom Penh, Cambodia, he was in transit at Gate 22 of Singapore Changi Airport awaiting a connecting flight to Melbourne, Australia. When attempting to board his connecting flight his metal-rimmed sunglasses triggered a metal detector and two packets of heroin from Cambodia were found, one strapped to his body and another inside his hand luggage.
Trials
Police alleged that Nguyen was in possession of 396.2 grams of heroin, more than 25 times the amount of 15 grams that mandates a death sentence under the Misuse of Drugs Act. The Singaporean High Court sentenced Nguyen to death for this crime on March 20 2004.
Throughout his trial, Nguyen claimed that he was only carrying the drugs in a bid to pay off debts owed by his twin brother, Khoa (a former heroin addict), who had borrowed around AU$25,000 to help defend himself against drugs and violent offences charges three years previously.
Nguyen had no previous criminal record. In his police statement, he admitted that he knew he was transporting heroin but added that he had feared for the safety of his family and that prevented him from backing away from the assignment.
While in Cambodia to collect the drugs he met the suppliers and confessed to smoking heroin with them twice - although he says this was under duress from his heroin supplier.
Since his conviction, he has been held on death row in Changi Prison.
An appeal to the Court of Appeal was dismissed on October 202004.
Pleas for Clemency
A plea for clemency by the Australian Government was rejected in October 2005. The Australian government abolished the death penalty in 1985, with the last execution being in 1967. Australians, including members of Federal and state parliaments, are currently appealing for the decision to be reconsidered and clemency to be granted. If he is hanged, it will be the first execution of an Australian in Southeast Asia since 1993, when Michael McAuliffe was hanged in Malaysia for drug trafficking.
On November 17 2005, Nguyen's family received a registered letter from the Singapore Prisons Department. It contained notice of his scheduled hanging on December 2 2005.
On the same day at the APEC Summit in South Korea, Australia's Prime Minister John Howard made a last appeal on Nguyen's behalf to Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. The letter of notice by that time, however, had already been delivered to Nguyen's mother. Howard later said he was "very disappointed" Lee did not tell him of Nguyen's execution date during their morning meeting.
Lee apologised to Howard in a phone call later that night, explaining that the letter sent to Mrs Nguyen had arrived a day earlier than anticipated. Singapore Foreign Affairs Minister George Yeo also conveyed his apologies to his counterpart Alexander Downer.
Nguyen's lawyers arrived in Singapore on November 18 2005 to inform their client of his impending execution date.
On November 21 2005 the Australian Government was considering a request made by Nguyen Tuong Van's lawyers to apply for a hearing at the International Court of Justice. This would require the Singaporean government's agreement to its jurisdiction. However, Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer considers it unlikely that the Singaporean government would agree to this.
In a letter to the Mr David Hawker, the Speaker of the Australian House of Representatives in Canberra, Mr Abdullah Tarmugi, the Speaker of the Parliament of Singapore wrote "He was caught in possession of almost 400g of pure heroin, enough for more than 26,000 doses of heroin for drug addicts", "He knew what he was doing and the consequences of his actions." Speaking on behalf of the Singapore Government, Tarmugi said: "We are unable to condone Mr Nguyen's actions. As representatives of the people, we have an obligation to protect the lives of those who could be ruined by the drugs he was carrying."
"We cannot allow Singapore to be used as a transit for illicit drugs in the region," Tarmugi wrote to Australian MPs. "We know this is a painful and difficult decision for Mr Nguyen's family to accept, but we hope you and your colleagues will understand our position." As a transportation hub, Singapore has always been vulnerable to be used as a transit point for Golden Triangle heroin.
On November 28 2005 Australia's Human Rights Commissioner, Sev Ozdowski said Australia must keep pressuring Singapore to abandon the death penalty, even if it proves too late for Nguyen.
Under the rules of Changi Prison, death row prisoners are not allowed physical contact with their visitors. Nguyen's mother Kim has only been allowed to speak to her son through a pane of glass in the death row interview room. A personal appeal by John Howard means that his mother and brother will be allowed to hold the hand of Nguyen before his hanging.
Campaigners will hold a vigil outside the prison before his execution scheduled for 6 am SGT on 2 December 2005.
See also
- Capital punishment in Singapore
- Drug trafficking
- List of Australians in international prisons
- List of famous drug smugglers
External links
- Australia Unites to save Nguyen Van Tuong
- Amnesty International Australia campaign to save Van
- Save Nguyen Tuong Van
- High Court trial summary
- Court of Appeal appeal summary
- Foreign Minister George Yeo's Letters to Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer and Shadow Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd
References
- "Australian faces death penalty in Singapore". November 26, 2003.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help); Unknown parameter|org=ignored (help) - "Melbourne man to be hanged". October 22, 2005.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help); Unknown parameter|org=ignored (help) - "Australian to be executed in Singapore". October 21, 2005.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help); Unknown parameter|org=ignored (help) - "Singapore sets Nguyen execution date". November 17, 2005.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help); Unknown parameter|org=ignored (help) - "Convicted Aussie drug trafficker Nguyen to hang on 2 Dec". November 17, 2005.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help); Unknown parameter|org=ignored (help) - "Nguyen Tuong Van - Australia cannot stand idly by". November 29, 2005.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help); Unknown parameter|org=ignored (help) - "Little hope of court intervention in Nguyen case: Downer". November 21, 2005.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help); Unknown parameter|org=ignored (help) - "Letter seals Nguyen's fate". November 24, 2005.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help); Unknown parameter|org=ignored (help) - "Separating fact from fiction, despite a deep sense of human compassion". November 30, 2005.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help); Unknown parameter|org=ignored (help)