Two pieces of news have been troubling me lately. The first one is about a young Malaysian man Yong Vui Kong who is on death row in Singapore for trafficking drugs.
According to reports, Yong was convicted on Jan 7 last year for trafficking 47g of diamorphine, a capital offence under Singapore's Misuse of Drugs Act. He was arrested on June 13, 2007 at the age of 18.
I can't help but feel affected when I read about how his family members had knelt in front of our president's palace gates appealing for his death sentence to be commuted to life imprisonment. While I know what he did was very wrong, how can I, a parent of an 18-year-old son, not sympathise for him and his family.
I'm trying to recall what I was like at that age. I was fresh-faced and not at all street-smart, in fact still very guillable. Luckily my parents were protective and made sure I didn't mix with the wrong company. Yong isn't so lucky, now his fate lies in the hands of our president.
This pomeranian wasn't even given any chance. He was brutally bashed to death by a man in the public. The penalty for murdering a pet, believe it or not, is one year imprisonment and/or a maximum fine of S$10,000.
Is it enough? I don't think so.
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15 comments:
Punishments dealt out never seem to fit the crime lately... While the 18 yr old trafficking offense of a death penalty seems to harsh, just the 10,000$ for killing an animal seems to lenient....
I would say give the dog killer 6 strokes of the cane as well.
As for the Malaysian man I remember reading an earlier news that it was not the first time he did that. He had done that before only that he was not caught.
Remember the case of the Malaysian man killing a young Chinese girl. His family members with his tearful wife also pleaded for clemency.
In such cases people always appeal to our emotions. Unless it is an exceptional case or there are certain considerations, I think a pardon will not be granted.
I think what he did was wrong too but just like you, being a parent, I sympathize with his family.
Ugh...I cringe when I read about this type of stuff...sorry to hear that the Malaysian man had to get that kind of sentence...
Can't believe someone brutally murdered a dog. :-(((
I don't think anyone can be happy with handing out death sentences, least of all those who have to enforce these sentences ie the MOH, the judges, the prosecution, the investigators, the president and of course the Cabinet. Ditto the hangman, the doctor who has to pronounce that the prisoner is indeed dead, the pastor/priest/iman who has to be there to administer the spiritual comfort etc etc
I think many of these good pple hate Friday mornings be4 dawn when executions take place.
I also hate to think that I or any of my loved ones, or even people I know personally, ending up on death row.
But one question we've to ask is can we live with higher crime rates, drug cartels operating openly, kidnaps rampant and fire arms used indiscriminately?
Guess we will never really know how we'll feel till we are either the victim of a vicious criminal or someone who has been wrongly accused!
JY - Yes, so true.
fr - And put the dog killer away in jail for a long time. Who knows what kind of harm he can do to other people and animals.
Yes, I remember the Malaysian man who was put to death despite appeals from his family. It his case, it was a case of brutal murder.
In Vong's case, he had mingled with the company from young and was used as a mule. Very sad. The manipulative drug lords are the ones who deserve the death sentence.
Nick - Yes, drugs destroy the lives of people and our government wants to use death sentence as a deterrent but I just feel sad that a young life is snuffed out just like that. Killing is always a cruel act.
Amel - The dog killer is such a sicko. There are some sickos out here too who derive joy out of torturing and killing cats. They should be put away in jail for life.
Auntie Lucia - It must realy suck to be doing those jobs. The animal catchers from AVA too. I wonder if they can sleep well every night knowing that the animals they have caught will surely be put to death.
Yes, Blur those jobs suck, as did that of the men who pushed the button sending atomic bombs on Nagasaki n other parts of Japan.
Ditto jobs of men and women who battle daily on war fronts, who kill and maim, innocent along with the guilty, and often also become the casualties of war themselves.
However, unlike you n me who call what they do "jobs", they call them "duty".
I guess someone has to do the unpleasant things, so that you and I can debate about the morality of what's done.
If i have the power, i will sentence all who involve in murder cases to death! regardless killing animal or human!
As for the Malaysian man, in parents view is very sad news but if we see overall effect he will bring to others, he deserved to be punished stictly!
The dog was killed just a few blocks from where I stayed. I am appalled how the man can have such anger to kill a dog. There's been police checks these days around here. Probably trying to track the guy down.
I am sure many animal lovers out there would feel the same. When one gets a pet, the pet becomes part of the family. It's the duty of the owner to consider and accept that before he even got the dog.
Malar - Yes, anyone who kills out of anger or frustration is very dangerous and should be put away for good.
Water - Oh gosh! I hope he gets caught soon!
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