HUMAN RIGHTS FOR EACH PERSON REGARDLESS OF AGE, RACE, RELIGION OR POLITICS
Nguyen Tuong Van
NGUYEN VAN TUONG HAS BEEN EXECUTED
Australia weeps for a young man who for whatever reason made a stupid mistake. This was his first crime! He was cooperative and helpful to the authorities, he has demonstrated real remorse for his crime. He is an Australian Citizen, yet he has been put to death in a foreign country, for a crime he would be lucky to get 10 years for here in Australia! What are we going to do Australia - How many kids have to die?
In Memoriam - Tuong Van Nguyen
Executed by the Singaporean Government on 2 December 2005
It was his first and only criminal offence! Foreign Prisoner Support Services extend our sincerest condolences to the family of Australian Tuong Van Nguyen who was hanged in Singapore at 6am on 2 December 2005. This young man will never get the opportunity to learn from his mistake but we hope that in his passing, others might. We encourage our members and visitors to this site to send a card of condolence or a few kind thoughts and words of compassion to his dear mother Mrs. Kim Nguyen. We also respect that there are people who believe Van Nguyen deserved to be punished in this way. We ask that you please understand that what is done is done and that you allow his mother to grieve in peace. That you refrain from sending any disrespectful or hurtful correspondence to FPSS, to Van's lawyers and to his family. The time for accusations has surely passed and now is a time when we should come together in the spirit of humanity to support a mother who has just lost her son!
Down a road that's calm and peaceful,
Guided by God's loving hand,
He has gone upon a journey
To a distant, brighter land.
And although our hearts are heavy
With sorrow we still bear,
It helps to bring us comfort,
Knowing he is happy there.
Condolences can be directed to: Mrs. Kim Nguyen C/- Mr. Lex Lasry QC
Australian Lawyer
1-13 University Avenue,
Canberra ACT 2601 Australia
Information about Nguyen Tuong Van
Reuters Photo: File photo shows Kim Nguyen, mother of convicted Australian drug trafficker Nguyen Tuong Van, after.. MORE INFORMATION
Singapore Death Penalty An Australian man, Nguyen Tuong Van, 25, convicted of drugs charges in Singapore has lost his final appeal for clemency and will be executed. Nguyen's Melbourne-based lawyer Lex Lasry said the Singapore decision was devastating for Nguyen, his family and "anyone who values humane treatment of their fellow human beings." "Death by hanging is hideous. Further, it is grossly out of proportion to the crime committed," he said in a statement, adding that Nguyen had admitted his guilt and cooperated with authorities. "We call on the Singapore government to reverse this decision. We make this call in the name of fairness and justice." But Downer said there was little more Australia could do. The F.P.S.S are shocked to hear that all avenues of appeal have been exhausted. Nguyen Tuong Van should NOT receive the Death Penalty because; Nguyen has always admitted his guilt.
He has NO history of criminal activity.
Nguyen Tuong Van assisted the authorities, including the Australian Federal Police in their investigations.
There are provisions of the Singapore Constitution that make specific reference and provide for clemency to those who assist the authorities with information which can be used to prosecute others. The F.P.S.S, it's members & volunteers respectfully request the Singapore Authorities act Immediatly to save Nguyen's life!
COURT TRANSCRIPTS
Public Prosecutor v Nguyen Tuong Van - 20 Mar 2004
Nguyen Tuong Van v Public Prosecutor - Appeal 06 Oct 2004 Mothers Plea
click here
CONTACT DETAILS
The address where Nguyen is currently detained and will likely be hanged if the appeal is rejected is at the address below. Letters are not generally accepted by the Prison. Please forward your correspondence to the High Commission instead. Tanah Merah Prison [Changi Prison]
10 Tanah Merah Besar Road,
Changi, Singapore 498834. Contact Lawyers Lex Lasry - Australian Lawyer - Email: lexlasry@empirechambers.com.au
1-13 University Avenue, Canberra ACT 2601
(02) 6257 6007 Fax (02) 6257 6290 DX 99 Canberra
Enquiries: clerk@empirechambers.com.au Joseph Theseira - Singapore Lawyer
Tel: 6533-0288 Fax: 6533-8802
E-mail: isaaclaw@singnet.com.sg
20A Circular Road
Singapore 049377
Australia buries executed Nguyen
Nguyen's body was flown back to Melbourne for burial At least 1,000 mourners have attended the funeral in Melbourne's St Patrick's Cathedral of a man executed in Singapore for drug-smuggling. Nguyen Tuong Van, an Australian of Vietnamese descent, was hanged last Friday for trafficking heroin despite strong appeals for clemency. The 25-year-old's body was flown back to Melbourne on Sunday. A plea for forgiveness written by Nguyen hours before his death was read out at the requiem Mass. Fr Peter Hansen made a strong condemnation of "retribution and vengeance" in his sermon to the congregation in the Roman Catholic cathedral. "And I say to these people if you build a world upon these so-called values of retribution and vengeance, then you will build a world in which some people will always seek to take drugs," he said. All Australians, he told Nguyen's mother Kim as she sobbed, supported her in the face of her pain. Click Here for Complete Story Van's final words Nguyen letters read at his funeral Nguyen mourners slam death penalty
Singapore hangs Australian drug smuggler
People hold a flower and weep for condemned drug smuggler Nguyen Tuong Van during a vigil in Sydney, Australia, Friday, Dec. 2, 2005, as they gather at the hour of his execution. [AP] Singapore executed a 25-year-old Australian on Friday for drug trafficking, despite numerous appeals from the Australian government and hours after the condemned man had a "beautiful last visit" with his family. Nguyen Tuong Van was hanged before dawn as a dozen friends and supporters, dressed in black, kept an overnight vigil outside the maximum-security prison. His twin brother, Nguyen Khoa, was dressed in white. Vigils were also held in cities around Australia, with bells and gongs sounding 25 times at the hour of his execution. "The sentence was carried out this morning at Changi Prison," the Home Affairs Ministry said in an e-mailed statement. Nguyen received a mandatory death sentence after he was caught in 2002 at Singapore's airport on his way home to Melbourne carrying about 14 ounces of heroin. Click Here for Complete Story
Candlelight vigil marks protest against Nguyen execution
Thousands of candles have been lit outside Parliament House in Canberra to protest against the impending execution of convicted drug smuggler, Australian man Van Nguyen. Van Nguyen is due to be executed in Singapore at dawn on Friday. With the sun setting over Parliament House, the glow from around 3,000 candles is lighting up the lawn in the front of the building. About 200 people have joined the vigil to show their support for the 25-year-old and their opposition to the death penalty. A spokesman from a family drug support group who lost his son to a heroin overdose told the gathering Nguyen is about to become just another victim of drugs. The president of Amnesty International Australia, Russell Thirgood, says he hopes tonight's vigil will bring some comfort to Nguyen and his family. Archive of this story
Nguyen to die on December 2nd
M. Ravi a Singaporean human rights lawyer and anti-death penalty campaigner holds messages addressed to Nguyen Tuong Van while on his way to Changi Prison in Singapore November 8, 2005. Ravi was attempting to deliver the messages to Nguyen, who was sentenced to death in March 2004 for smuggling almost 400 grams of heroin from Cambodia. Singapore is set to precede with the execution of convicted Australian drug smuggler, dismissing a final plea by Canberra to spare him, Australia's foreign minister said last week. Alexander Downer said he had received a letter from his Singapore counterpart, George Yeo, late on Wednesday rejecting an appeal for clemency for Nguyen Tuong Van, 25, and expected the death sentence to be carried out in the next month. REUTERS/Vivek Prakash
Twins - one on death row, other in despair
THE LITTLE twins smile happily for the camera, their young lives filled with endless possibilities. Today one of them sits on death row, the other is in hiding — filled with despair over the loving brother whose life looks certain to be cut short on the gallows in Singapore. The image of Melbourne man Nguyen Tuong Van, 25, and his brother, Khoa, was released by lawyers for Nguyen, who are fighting to save his life. Nguyen was arrested in Singapore in 2002 carrying 396 grams of heroin. He told police he was acting as a courier for a Sydney drug syndicate to earn money to pay for his brother's legal debts. Few people know where Khoa is today, but those who know him say he is devastated. The pair had been inseparable since arriving in Australia with their mother when they were four months old. Nguyen's application for clemency was refused by Singapore's President S.R. Nathan on October 21. But friends and supporters have not given up hope. Yesterday, supporters of the Reach Out campaign, set up by friends of Nguyen, gathered in Melbourne to sort through the thousands of letters of support. Click Here for Complete Story
NEWS ARTICLES & INTERVIEWS
FREEDOM IS A RIGHT OF ALL HUMAN BEINGS IN A WORLD WHERE LIFE IS VALUED AND PEACE MAY FINALLY BE A POSSABILITY
Supporters of convicted Australian drug trafficker, Van Nguyen, gathered outside the State Library in Melbourne yesterday to display thousands of messages of opposition to his death sentence. 

Callers to talkback radio in Melbourne were overwhelmingly against the death penalty of Nguyen, who immediately admitted his guilt and has cooperated with authorities since being caught smuggling heroin into Singapore. Many called for a boycott of Singaporean products.

25-year-old Nguyen was arrested at Changi Airport in 2002 for carrying heroin and sentenced to death in March. Nguyen claims he carried the 396 grams of heroin strapped to his body in an attempt to pay off his brother Khoa's $30,000 legal debts.

The Singapore government have announced they will execute Nguyen at dawn on December 2nd. Singapore President S. R. Nathan rejected Nguyen's clemency four weeks ago. The Melbourne salesman was sentenced to death under Singapore law which determines a mandatory death sentence for anyone found guilty of possessing 15 grams of heroin or more.

Nguyen's mother was informed on Thursday by registered mail from the Singapore prisons service of the execution date. The letter stated that she should start making funeral arrangements. She will get to see her son in the three days leading up to the execution.

Despite repeated pleas for clemency from many thousands of supporters; religious groups; human rights organisations; the Pope; and the Australian Government - including Prime Minister, John Howard - Singapore officials have said Nguyen's execution is irreversible.

Mr Howard had argued that Nguyen should be spared, citing mitigating circumstances in his case which pointed to the fact that he was not a serial drug trafficker but had merely been trying to pay off his brother's debts.

The Victorian Attorney-General, Rob Hulls, says the Singaporean Government has shown no compassion whatsoever in its treatment of Van Nguyen and his family.

"What's happening is brutal, is inappropriate. I, and the Victorian Government, vehemently oppose the death penalty in any circumstances", he told ABC Radio. "This is a young kid who has assisted the police all the way... In any other country, he would get a discount in relation to the penalty. But because there is a mandatory death penalty for drug offences in Singapore, this young man may well be executed. It is just grossly inappropriate."

"Singapore maintains that capital punishment is a criminal justice issue; it is the sovereign right of every country to decide whether or not to include capital punishment within its criminal justice system," a Foreign Ministry spokesman said. 

Singapore argues that there was no international consensus that capital punishment should be abolished. At the most recent meeting of the UN Commission on Human Rights, 66 countries dissociated themselves from a resolution calling for the abolition of capital punishment. 

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong affirmed Singapore's position by saying that it has to "stand firm on drugs to protect its citizens from the scourge and to ensure the country does not become a conduit for the trafficking of illicit drugs."

In reply to a letter appealing for clemency from his Australian counterpart Alexander Downer, Singapore Foreign Minister George Yeo said: "Mr Nguyen imported almost 400gm of pure heroin which would have supplied more than 26,000 doses to drug addicts."

No one will be permitted to see Nguyen on the morning of his execution. His body will be released to his mother.