The Story of Yong Vui Kong
Busy, busy but I thought I should use some time to get this blog entry up. Some of you might have already read about this (or not). Or you might have heard about the anti-mandatory death campign. Thanks to Kiki, I'm always getting updates on this!
The Story of Yong Vui Kong
Yong Vui Kong, a 22-year old boy from Sabah has been sentenced to death by hanging after being caught with 47.27 grams of heroin in Singapore. He was only 19 when he was being caught.
Vui Kong was not fortunate like most of us and did not go through a normal childhood. He did not receive a proper education. His parents divorced when he was 3. He and his mother eventually moved to live with his grandfather. He was forced to work at then while he was only 7 years old. Both of them faced abuse by his grandfather.
When he was older, he moved to Kuala Lumpur, in hope of getting a better job and providing for his mother. He managed to get one as a kitchen helper but faced discrimination and abuse in the workplace. Not able to tolerate the abuse anymore, he turned to selling VCDs where he met some members of the secret societies. He was mislead by them and was ordered by his "Big Brother" to get involved in drug dealing. At that time, he did not know he could face a death penalty by dealing in drugs.
Two days before he was arrested, Vui Kong visited his mother in Sabah to celebrate her birthday. He was paid S$2000 to deliver the drugs to Singapore, which he was to do two days later. He used the money to buy his mother a birthday gift and was proud that he could finally buy something for her. Little did they know it was the last time they would see each other outside of prison.
By the time he was being caught and informed by the investigator of the death penalty, it was too late. It was something that was hard to accept for him at that time.
In prison, he reflected on his past doing. He began to study, to read and write. He practised buddhism and learned how to be considerate to the others. Yes, he had made a mistake (but nobody was there to teach him, to lead him on the right path). But if Vui Kong is given a second chance, he could still contribute much by reaching out to youngsters who might be vulnerable to drug traffickers. The dealth penalty has always been a controversial topic. In the case of granting Vui Kong clemency, Our law minister K Shanmugam responded by saying,
“We (would be) sending a signal to all drug barons out there: Just make sure to choose a victim who is your or a mother of a young child and use them as the people to carry the drugs into Singapore,”
Still, does having such death penalties REALLY deter those drug barons? One person gets hanged. They could easily find another replacement who might be in a similar desperate situation as Vui Kong. So it doesn't really nip the problem in the bud.
There has been much effort to fight for the boy's life, like the "Save Vui Kong Campaign" recently organised by TheOnlineCitizen and the Singapore Anti-Death Penalty Campaign. I couldn't be there to support the event as I am still in Palmy. Still, it was nice to see many people from different backgrounds gathered at the event. Currently, the aim is to appeal for clemency via the president.
Thus far, the petition to the president (Click here if you haven't signed) had crossed 20,000 signatures. BUT just last week, the high court ruled that the president has no discretion in clemency. Read about it here. But is that really true? It seems like the past presidents did play a part in considering clemencies - read here.
Credits: Andrew Loh (The Online Citizen)
More details on Vui Kong's journey and other campaigns here.
Do not give up fighting as long as the boy is still living!
On, 22 August (Sunday), The Online Citizen (TOC) and the Singapore Anti-Death Penalty Campaign (SADPC) will be organising an event at the Speaker's Corner:
The Elected President is not a rubber stamp
Time: 4pm
Venue: Speakers’ Corner (Hong Lim Park), take the train along the NEL and alight at Clark Quay station. Go out through Exit “A” which will bring you into the park itself.
View the event details here.
Support if you can and spread this message around!
The Story of Yong Vui Kong
Yong Vui Kong, a 22-year old boy from Sabah has been sentenced to death by hanging after being caught with 47.27 grams of heroin in Singapore. He was only 19 when he was being caught.
Vui Kong was not fortunate like most of us and did not go through a normal childhood. He did not receive a proper education. His parents divorced when he was 3. He and his mother eventually moved to live with his grandfather. He was forced to work at then while he was only 7 years old. Both of them faced abuse by his grandfather.
When he was older, he moved to Kuala Lumpur, in hope of getting a better job and providing for his mother. He managed to get one as a kitchen helper but faced discrimination and abuse in the workplace. Not able to tolerate the abuse anymore, he turned to selling VCDs where he met some members of the secret societies. He was mislead by them and was ordered by his "Big Brother" to get involved in drug dealing. At that time, he did not know he could face a death penalty by dealing in drugs.
Two days before he was arrested, Vui Kong visited his mother in Sabah to celebrate her birthday. He was paid S$2000 to deliver the drugs to Singapore, which he was to do two days later. He used the money to buy his mother a birthday gift and was proud that he could finally buy something for her. Little did they know it was the last time they would see each other outside of prison.
By the time he was being caught and informed by the investigator of the death penalty, it was too late. It was something that was hard to accept for him at that time.
In prison, he reflected on his past doing. He began to study, to read and write. He practised buddhism and learned how to be considerate to the others. Yes, he had made a mistake (but nobody was there to teach him, to lead him on the right path). But if Vui Kong is given a second chance, he could still contribute much by reaching out to youngsters who might be vulnerable to drug traffickers. The dealth penalty has always been a controversial topic. In the case of granting Vui Kong clemency, Our law minister K Shanmugam responded by saying,
“We (would be) sending a signal to all drug barons out there: Just make sure to choose a victim who is your or a mother of a young child and use them as the people to carry the drugs into Singapore,”
Still, does having such death penalties REALLY deter those drug barons? One person gets hanged. They could easily find another replacement who might be in a similar desperate situation as Vui Kong. So it doesn't really nip the problem in the bud.
There has been much effort to fight for the boy's life, like the "Save Vui Kong Campaign" recently organised by TheOnlineCitizen and the Singapore Anti-Death Penalty Campaign. I couldn't be there to support the event as I am still in Palmy. Still, it was nice to see many people from different backgrounds gathered at the event. Currently, the aim is to appeal for clemency via the president.
Thus far, the petition to the president (Click here if you haven't signed) had crossed 20,000 signatures. BUT just last week, the high court ruled that the president has no discretion in clemency. Read about it here. But is that really true? It seems like the past presidents did play a part in considering clemencies - read here.
Credits: Andrew Loh (The Online Citizen)
More details on Vui Kong's journey and other campaigns here.
Do not give up fighting as long as the boy is still living!
On, 22 August (Sunday), The Online Citizen (TOC) and the Singapore Anti-Death Penalty Campaign (SADPC) will be organising an event at the Speaker's Corner:
The Elected President is not a rubber stamp
Time: 4pm
Venue: Speakers’ Corner (Hong Lim Park), take the train along the NEL and alight at Clark Quay station. Go out through Exit “A” which will bring you into the park itself.
View the event details here.
Support if you can and spread this message around!