Singapore has some of the strictest drug trafficking laws in the world
The case of convicted Australian drug smuggler Nguyen Tuong Van, hanged in Singapore on Friday, has prompted a mix of outrage, sadness and soul-searching in newspapers in Australia and New Zealand.
Opposition to the death penalty and horror at the method of his execution is combined with criticism of government policy in both Singapore and Australia and warnings about the dangers of drugs.
In Singapore, commentators defend their government's stance and issue a stark warning to other drug smugglers.
EDITORIAL IN AUSTRALIA'S THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD
Nguyen Tuong Van is no martyr. He was a convicted drug smuggler. But the dignity, courage and generosity with which he faced his execution became, in itself, a compelling argument against a mandatory penalty of death.
PETER HARTCHER IN THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD
Australia mourns Nguyen Tuong Van... recoiling from the chilling spectacle of a state, in all its power and with an agonisingly deliberate slowness, strangling life from a single young civilian.
EDITORIAL IN THE AUSTRALIAN
The death penalty is wrong - no ifs, no buts... Today, with the outrageous exception of the US, nations where political power depends on the electoral assent of the governed are likely to have abandoned capital punishment.
EDITORIAL IN AUSTRALIA'S HERALD SUN
Life is too precious to be taken needlessly, on the gallows, a throwback to a less civilised past that degrades all involved. This grotesque, anachronistic method is consistent in suiting the authoritarian mindset that Singapore's modern rulers are yet to break free of. As a deterrent, it is a failure.
EDITORIAL IN NEW ZEALAND'S THE PRESS
The Singapore government has been shown to be brutal, pitiless and inhumane... This case has been made particularly monstrous by the appearance in newspapers of the hangman himself 'talking merrily'... Even without these hideous elements the execution would be repugnant; with them it becomes unspeakable.
CLIVE KESSLER IN THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD
For many Australians, the core issue emotionally, no less than their opposition to the idea of recourse to state-sanctioned killing... is their abhorrence of this gruesome method of execution.
EDITORIAL IN AUSTRALIA'S THE AGE
Australia has been inconsistent. In cases such as those of Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussain and the Bali bombers, the prospect of execution has even met with support... Even as Singapore stands condemned, Australians need to recognise that we are less clear in our own hearts and minds about this issue than we should be.
MARK BAKER IN THE AGE
Nguyen's execution was as much a political act as the outcome of a warped legal process - an act sanctioned by a stubborn, hard-hearted oligarchy and probably sealed by the conduct of our own leaders.
EDITORIAL IN THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD
The real culprit is drugs. Drugs destroy lives, and drug crimes evoke deep emotions, including support for capital punishment.
EDITORIAL IN THE AUSTRALIAN
If this whole appalling mess has a single worthwhile outcome, it will be to discourage any other Australians from attempting to use or smuggle illicit drugs in Asia.
EDITORIAL IN SINGAPORE'S THE STRAITS TIMES
It is easy to be sanctimonious about the savagery of hanging but there are grim realities about drug trafficking and addiction that are not so easily ignored... Neither the Nguyen affair nor the other high-profile drug cases should go unnoticed in Australia. Instead of burning with anger, however, what should sink in their minds is that the hangman waits for those who smuggle drugs in South-east Asia.
LUO PEIYU IN SINGAPORE'S LIANHE ZAOBAO
Singapore has the right to retain the death penalty... The Singaporean government has gone through careful consideration in order to safeguard the rule of law and people's interests. This is the correct procedure, and other people should not be allowed to interfere.
HUANG JIA HUA IN LIANHE ZAOBAO
The so-called human rights activists who are running around asking for mercy for Nguyen Tuong Van seem to regard drug dealers as heroes, victims and innocent people. Brandishing the human rights flag, they are attempting to disturb the fairness of our country's judiciary, and to sedulously discredit the clean reputation of our country.
What is he opinion of the members of SillyDog701
For or Against
Subject changed from "Singapore Execution", Antony 7 Dec 2005
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