My heart absolutely goes out to the family and friends of Tuong Van Nguyen
who is currently sitting on death row in Singapore for a first and only
offence. Granted, he committed a crime and deserves to be punished but to
put him to death will not stop the 'Mister Bigs of the drug world' from
preying on people who are in most desperate situations.
People say so easily 'he knew the risks' and yes he would have known the
risks but it would appear that he thought the risk was worth it, if it
meant saving his twin brother's life. These situations are not black and
white. Some people make the wrong choices in life and sometimes they do it
for what they think will fix the problem easily. But before too long they
are in way over their head and in most cases, end up in a place that is far
worse. I don't condone drug trafficking and I don't condone capital
punishment. I believe that Tuong Van Nguyen, like everyone else, deserves a
second chance to redeem himself, after all, this is his first and only
offence.
I think that killing a drug mule, albeit a first timer as in this case,
isn't ever going to put a dent in the heart of the drug trade problem.
I hope that our Government can influence the Singapore Government to stop
this execution in the name of humanity. But if nothing can prevent this
action, then I express my deepest condolences to Tuong's family and
friends. I will pray for his mother Kim to find strength in her heart
especially after everything she has already endured. I hope that one day
she will find peace!
