By Chow Ying, Save Vui Kong Campaign Coodinator
The family of Cheong Chun Yin, a 28 year old Malaysian who is in death row in Singapore for drug trafficking, submitted a petition with 8778 signatures to the Singapore President Mr SR Nathan at 10 am, today.
The petition is a plea to stop the imminent execution of Chun Yin and to urge the prosecution to re-open Chun Yin’s case.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Malaysia just recently announced that 833 out of the 1,880 Malaysians detained overseas as of March 31 this were for drug-related offences.
Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister Richard Riot said that those who were caught with drug related offences were most often cheated into becoming drug mules, and young girls and single mothers are among the most common victim of such tactics.
Cheong Chun Yin is one such example of a innocent victims.
The Save Vui Kong Campaign is glad to learn that the authority recognises the root of the problem concerning drug trafficking. Since these people are indeed innocent victims, the authority has a responsibility to help and support them, including providing legal counsel, as well as using all diplomatic means to ensure that the victims’ rights are respected and protected. This is the obligation of the State.
At the same time, let us not forget that our laws also impose harsh punishment, a mandatory death sentence for drug trafficking. A month ago, the Shah Alam High Court has handed down a death sentence to a single mother convicted in drug trafficking. This young woman is from Singapore, fell in love with a man who had gained her trust and misguided her into bring drug into Malaysia.
They are the easy target for drug barons.
These laws have ended many lives, leaving their family devastated.
And yet, the drug barons will continue to use them. They will continue to be victimised.
While we welcome the authority’s call for people to be cautious, the government must now look at and re-examine the laws and policies relating to drugs. Drugs lead to destruction, we recognise that, but if we put all the responsibilities onto the drug mule alone by hanging them, it would not solve the problem, instead, innocent people will be executed.
On behalf of Cheong Chun Yin’s family, we thank you for your concern and support. At the same time, we urge the Singapore government to seriously look into Cheong Chun Yin’s plea, and the Malaysia government to take proactive steps to curb such incidents in the future.
Save Vui Kong Campaign – RE CHEONG CHUN YIN
The family of Cheong Chun Yin, a 28-year-old Malaysian who is in death row in Singapore have, today
at 10am, submitted a petition that supported by 8778 signatures to the Singapore President Mr SR
Nathan. The petition plea to stop the imminent execution of Chun Yin and that the prosecution to re-
open Chun Yin case.
These signatures were mainly collected by Chun Yin family from the public in a period of 2 weeks. Out
of which 401 are Singaporean and 786 (27.4.2011@930am?are collected from online petition.
A few days ago, the Malaysia Foreign Affair Ministry announced that till March 31 this year, 833 out of
the 1,880 Malaysians detained overseas were for drug-related offences.
Deputy Foreign Minister Datuk Richard Riot had in the press conference said that those who were
caught with drug related offences were most often cheated into becoming ‘drug mules”, and young girls
and single mothers are among the most common victim. He also referred them as innocent victim.
Cheong Chun Yin is an example of these innocent victims.
Save Vui Kong Campaign is glad to learn that the authority recognises the root of the problem
concerning drug trafficking. Since these people are indeed innocent victim, the authority has a
responsibility to help and support them, including providing legal counsel, as well as using all
diplomatic means to ensure that the victims’ rights are respected and protected. This is the obligation of
the State.
At the same time, let us not forget that our laws also impose harsh punishment, that is, mandatory
death sentence, for drug trafficking. A month ago, the Shah Alam High Court has handed down a death
sentence to a single mother convicted in drug trafficking. This young woman is from Singapore, fell in
love with a man who had gained her trust and misguided her into bring drug into Malaysia.
They are the easy target for drug baron.
These laws have ended many lives, leaving their family devastated.
And yet, drug baron will continue to use them, induce them, cheat them into doing that. They will
continue to be the victim.
While we welcome the authority’s call for people to be cautious, the government must now re-look
and re-examine into the laws and policy relating to drug. Drug destroys us, we recognise that, but if we
put all the responsibilities onto the drug mule alone by hanging them, it would not solve the problem,
instead, innocent man/woman may be executed. The society at large should be awakened to the problem
and share the responsibility.
On behalf of Cheong Chun Yin’s family, we thank you for your concern and support. At the same time,
we urge the Singapore government to seriously look into Cheong Chun Yin’s plea, and the Malaysia
government to be more concern and take pro-active step to help the family.
<end>
CJMY
