Oct. 27
INDONESIA:
Association wants death penalty to stay
The abolishment of the death sentence on drug offences may bring unwanted
consequences to the country and its people, cautioned president of the
Federation of Kuching and Samarahan Divisions Chinese Associations, Temenggong
Lu Kim Yong.
He said yesterday drug trafficking was a severe criminal offence and,
therefore, required a stern penalty to punish irresponsible parties for
bringing the dangerous substance to Malaysia.
"If the death sentence were to be abolished, it might encourage drug
trafficking in Malaysia. As we may have noticed, Malaysia has somehow become
the international drug trafficking hub in recent years.
"I don't see the penalty of life imprisonment deterring drug traffickers from
committing the crime. I, therefore, urge the government to think carefully and
consider every possible consequences before making the final decision," he said
when asked to comment on the government's suggestion to review the mandatory
death penalty for drug offences.
Minister in the Prime Minister's Department, Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Aziz said
on Oct 21 the government was looking at the possibility of replacing the death
sentence with jail terms.
He said the Attorney General's Chambers would study the suitability of the
move.
The proposed review was well received by many quarters including Human Rights
Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam), Amnesty International, Council of Churches
Malaysia and Malaysia Hindu Sangam.
Sharing his sentiment, Padungan assemblyman Wong King Wei felt that death
sentence on non-violent crimes should be abolished.
He, however, stressed that the death penalty should be maintained to violent
capital offences including murder and firearm offences.
"I'm definitely with Nazri on the proposal to abolish the death sentence on
drug offences.
"The spirit of punishment is to make an offender pay fairly and justly in
weighing the person's action.
"I am of the view that someone has to pay blood with blood for intentionally
causing the death of another.
"This is the only fair manner to punish the offender. As to drug offender,
there is no need for one to pay blood to an act that does not directly cause
death to another," he said in his reply through SMS.
Nazri, who is also the de facto law minister, was reported to say sthere were
close to 250 Malaysians arrested as drug mules and sentenced to death abroad.
(source: The Borneo Post)
VIETNAM:
Child rapist, killer receives death penalty in Hanoi Court
On October 25, the Hanoi People's Court opened trial against defendant Dang
Tran Hoai from Duong Noi Ward in Ha Dong District of Hanoi, for murder, rape
and robbery.
The trial of 26-year-old Hoai has attracted the attention of many people
because of his extremely cruel behavior and lustful attitude and whose crimes
committed in July shocked the country.
During the trial, Hoai kept his head bent and repeatedly complained of
suffering from a headache. He even refused to answer all questions of the jury.
However, the trial still went on after the jury affirmed he had no mental
problems and was in good health.
According to the jury's verdict, on July 29, 2012, Dang Tran Hoai, a native of
Ha Dong District, wandered on his motorbike along Thang Long Avenue after
leaving a wedding party organized in Tu Liem District.
When he was passing the house of 30-year-old K.V.H in a rural area of Son Tay
Town, he saw 2 little girls inside alone with their parents absent at that
time. He saw an opportunity to rape the older girl.
He left his bike outside and rushed into the house to rape the 9-year-old girl,
the older girl, who screamed in pain but could not be heard by outsiders since
it was raining heavily at that time.
Since her 4-year-old sibling cried loudly, Hoai used a knife to slash the child
12 times on the face and neck. The girl later died on way to the hospital.
Hoai then continued raping the older girl, but the victims' uncle, who lived
nearby, finally heard the screams and rushed in and fought with Hoai. Then Hoai
stabbed the man and ran onto the street and tried to run away, with only his
shirt covering his naked body. During the escape, he tried to rob a motorbike
of Tran Thi Oanh but failed. Locals ran after Hoai.
He then stopped a car and got in, but his pursuers rushed up and seized him and
handed him over to the police.
In a trial that lasted 4 hours, the presiding judge, Judge Nguyen Quoc Thanh,
on behalf of the Panel sentenced the 26-year-old criminal with 2 death
penalties as he was convicted of rape of a nine-year-old girl and murder of
another 4-year-old.
Hoai also received a 4-year prison sentence for robbing property.
1 week before the trial, his family burnt incense to commemorate the victim and
paid her family a compensation of VND200 million (US$9,600).M
(source: Saigon Daily)
MALAYSIA:
Govt protests death sentence for workers
The government is protesting a court decision that sentenced 2 Indonesian
migrant workers in Malaysia to death, saying that the verdict is unfair and not
transparent.
"The government will fight for justice. We will file a strong protest against
the trial," Manpower and Transmigration Minister Muhaimin Iskandar said after
meeting with the parents of the workers here on Thursday.
"Both the workers have explained the situation, but they have been charged with
murder and have been sentenced to death."
The parents also met the leaders of the House Commission IX overseeing labor
affairs on Wednesday to seek support for their children in avoiding the death
penalty.
The Selangor High Court sentenced on Oct. 14 brothers Frans Hiu, 22, and Dharry
Frully Hiu, 20, to be hanged by the neck until dead after the pair were found
guilty of murdering Khartic Raja on Dec. 30, 2011.
According to Migrant Care executive director Anis Hidayahon, who visited Frans
and Dharry in Kajang Prison in Selangor on Wednesday, the brothers and their
alleged Malaysian accomplice all denied killing Khartic.
According to Anis, they claimed that Khartic entered their home while
intoxicated by alcohol and narcotics on Dec. 30.
He died after the 3 tied him up and brought him out of the house before
reporting the case to the police, Anis said.
The men were employed in a videogame rental shop run out of the place where
they also lived.
Muhaimin said that the legal proceedings had been unjust. "The trial was not
fair because the Malaysian worker who also faced the same murder charge was
acquitted. It is discriminatory," he said.
The minister denied reports that claimed that the Indonesian government did not
hire local counsel to represent the Indonesians in a death penalty case,
claiming that the government hired local lawyers in Malaysia and Saudi Arabia -
2 nations whose residents have a long history of mistreating Indonesian migrant
workers - to represent troubled workers.
"We have coordinated with the Foreign Ministry and the Indonesian Embassy in
Kuala Lumpur to provide legal aid to the 2 migrant workers," Muhaimin said.
Rieke Diah Pitaloka, an activist and lawmaker from the Indonesian Democratic
Party of Struggle (PDI-P), urged President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to go to
Malaysia and lobby its supreme court to review the case and to suspend sending
workers to Malaysia.
"The President should prove his political commitment to protecting all citizens
and give a quick response to those facing the death sentence overseas," she
said.
Rieke said that her party has coordinated with West Kalimantan governor
Cornelis to lobby the UMNO to aid the brothers.
(source: Jakarta Post)
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