SINGAPORE: It is “not tenable” for Singapore to go easy on Malaysian drug offenders who are caught on this side of the Causeway, said Home Affairs and Law Minister K Shanmugam on Friday (May 24).
Speaking at the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) Workplan seminar, Mr Shanmugam mentioned the case of Pannir Selvam Pranthaman, the Malaysian who was granted a stay of execution on Thursday by the Court of Appeal, saying he was accorded full legal assistance.
AdvertisementHe added that the 31-year-old, who was found guilty of carrying 51.84g of heroin at Woodlands Checkpoint in September 2014, is a drug dealer.
"There’s no two ways about it," Mr Shanmugam said, but did not comment further as the case is before the courts.
Malaysia’s Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Liew Vui Keong said on Friday in a Malay Mail report that he was "pleased to know of the stay of execution" for Pannir Selvam and had liaised with counterparts in Singapore with the blessings of Malaysia's Foreign Office.
Mr Shanmugamgave some observations about drug traffickers coming from Malaysia.He said that there are some from Malaysia’s ruling Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition party who are “ideologically opposed” to the death penalty.
AdvertisementAdvertisementSingapore received three requests from Malaysia to intervene last year, and two of these were related to drug traffickers, he added.
While he said that he respected their views, he also pointed out that a majority of Singaporeans supported a tough anti-drug stance, including the use of the death penalty against drug traffickers.
The results of a study by the Ministry of Home Affairs, released last week, showed that 69.6 per cent of Singaporeans polled indicated that the death penalty is an appropriate punishment for criminals who traffic a large amount of drugs.
[h=3]READ: Younger Singaporeans' support for capital punishment for drug traffickers below national average: MHA survey[/h]"It is not tenable to give a moratorium to Malaysians" on certain punishments, while Singaporeans have to face the full force of the law, Mr Shanmugam said.
The minister added that nearly 30 per cent of drug offenders caught in Singapore last year were Malaysians and, based on the statistics, he said it was not possible to "go easy" on Malaysians.
MORE PRACTICAL SOLUTIONS NEEDED
Mr Shanmugam said he intends to write back to Mr Liew to discuss ways to address this issue of cross-border drug offences.
One of the things he wants to bring up is to find out how many drug offenders are picked up by Malaysian authorities on their side of the Causeway.
He said it would be good for both sides if drug traffickers were caught by Malaysian authorities, as the offenders can be dealt with according to Malaysia's laws and not have to worry about Singapore’s capital punishment.
He would also ask about efforts to catch drug kingpins operating from Malaysia who are “too scared” to turn up in Singapore, saying it would be good for them to be picked up as well.
Another thing he wants to suggest is to publicise Singapore’s laws regarding drug offences to communities in Malaysia that may be more susceptible to being lured to bring drugs into Singapore.
“(The message would be) don’t traffic drugs into Singapore, or else these are the consequences,” Mr Shanmugam said.
He reiterated that it is "not tenable to keep asking the Singapore Government to intervene when the courts have decided" on the outcome, and the issue needs to be addressed with practical measures.
Let's block ads! (Why?)
More...