Do you believe in capital punishment?

[:446:]

wow! here is a live debate. i like how it smells. [:481:]

i speak in baby's defense. she likes fashion and chatting and hates politics. while i like politics but know too little. [:470:]

seeing a hotly debatable issue was introduced and discussion began with words that might hurt her feeling, she tried to balance the opinions with comments from authoritative sources representing all involved parties. i highly recommend the wise advice Mr Howard, the prime minister of Australlia, gave:

"Don't use them, don't touch them, don't carry them, don't traffic in them, and don't imagine for a moment - for a moment - that you can risk carrying drugs anywhere in Asia without suffering the most severe consequences." [:488:]

the touch Singapore law is trying to deter offenses. there are reasons for the Singapore gevernment to enact clear-cut rules with high-stake penalty. here we have a society with strong chinese culture that traditionally emphasizes interpersonal relation at the expense of law.

to convert the society to rule by law, the government has to raise the stake with severe penalties on law offenders. meanwhile the government has executed plans to educate the citizens of the importance to respect the law. prime minister Howard had a full understanding of this intension and accordingly made wise advices to his folk people.

i think other countries should follow and, like what Howard and his government did, to educate their own people to observe and respect Singapore laws. [:430:]

Hi, brucelee, welcome on board.

Your question is such as following,

"Do you think that the Singapore government had done enough to prevent these things to happen?

the answer is "yes"

I have been to this tiny island country for a few times. Well, to be honest, I don't like their laws but have to abide them, and also admire its effectiveness.

Lee senior and Junior are all Chinese proper as a matter of fact. they rule this tiny islet as their own family. Basically speaking, Singaporeans are not really enjoying the freedom of speech and democracy. That is why our late paramount leader loved to be a copycat of its system. I agree the Singaporean Government has done a lot of wonderful thing by its people, and this country has to rely on its strict rules to govern its people.

As soon as you touch down and walk through the airport, you can see the big and ubiquitous signs ------"No drug" & "death penalty"

Well, this is not the point that I would like to raise here. What I like to bring up is whether the capital punishment will really work to stop drug trafficking or not. Should we give some people a second chance to redeem their severe mistake? I reckon the punishment must be metered out accordingly. Mandatory death penalty is absolutely not appropriate in a first class country in the world . Singapore surely and unfortunately doesn't meet this criteria at all. (I am very sorry I have to say it, baby)

hi all,

I understand that.  As we all are human, and surely there are some rules and regulation which we will not willing to to accept.  

It's ok for you to go ahead with it.  

Like Adelyn have said, I like to chat but I dun like to involve in the politics

If you wanna to chat, I'll be happy and willing to do so.....

Thanks everyone... ^_^

Nguyen's last words: I pray I have not failed you
Wednesday Dec 7 12:07 AEDT


Two hours before he was hanged, convicted drug runner Nguyen Tuong Van said he hoped he had not failed his family and friends completely.

"It is the eleventh hour. My work here is done now," Nguyen wrote in his final letter.


"ray, may I not have failed you completely and by the grace of God, may you find strength and comfort in these words my heart now speaks to you, my brother and sisters."


Written on the last page of the 25-year-old's prison diary, the letter was printed on the last page of the Order of Service handed out to the hundreds of mourners at Nguyen's funeral Mass this morning.

Nguyen left instructions that the note be read out as part of the service and finalised many details of his own funeral with officiating priest Father Peter Hansen before he went to the gallows.

"I smile now as I prepare myself to return to the Lord," he wrote. "lease don't be sorry, but instead celebrate the life God has made possible."

"These shall be my last words. But I will see you again."

"It is now my time … Fear not my brothers and sisters. Fear not."

More than 2000 mourners, many dressed in white, reportedly packed the St Patrick's Catholic Cathedral in East Melbourne for the funeral which began at 11am (AEDT).

Nguyen's mother Kim and brother Khoa, both dressed in white suits, arrived in separate silver cars that pulled up in the courtyard outside the cathedral about 20 minutes before the Mass began.

Mourners lined the sides of the church and stood six-deep at the back among scores of memorial candles.

Several mourners sat on the cathedral steps or milled around the cathedral courtyard.

Dozens of floral tributes were also laid out in the sunshine.

A friend of Nguyen, Bronwyn Lew had tied yellow ribbons around several elm trees surrounding the cathedral ahead of the requiem Mass.

"The yellow ribbon is the symbol for the rehabilitation program in the Changi Prison," Ms Lew said.

"This symbol is about rehabilitation - that's the way it should be.

"He should have had a chance."

Robert Marshall, of Panton Hill, was one of many mourners there to offer support to the family of Nguyen, hanged in Singapore late last week for drug trafficking.

"My family has been affected by drugs, and my son died because of drugs, so I am very aware of the scourge of drugs, but I firmly believe Van should not have had his life taken from him," he said.

"So, I've come to show my support just as one of thousands of Australians who I think will turn up today to show their support for the family."

Sister Carole McDonald, of the Sisters of Mercy, said she attended because she wanted to raise her voice against the death penalty.

"I have worked with Vietnamese refugees in refugee camps overseas," she said.

"I don't believe in the death penalty. I think he (Nguyen) made a terrible mistake, but I think capital punishment diminishes us all.

"I think our Australian government should have done more to bring him home to Australia and dealt with under our law because he was going to bring those drugs here."

Nguyen's family said the funeral would celebrate his life, and the songs 'Ave Maria' and 'Amazing Grace' were to be played.

Father Hansen said Nguyen's family did not want the gathering to become a political statement about the death penalty.

Nguyen's mother was the chief mourner, but was not expected to do any of the readings at the service.