AUSTRALIAN drug smuggler Van Tuong Nguyen is calmly preparing for his execution by Singapore in less than two weeks, and is now concerned only for his family and friends, his lawyers said.
The 25-year-old Melbourne salesman's Australian legal team met with him in Singapore's Changi prison today, just days after the December 2 date for his execution by hanging was set.
Lex Lasry, QC, and Julian McMahon spent two and half hours with Nguyen and said he was showing courage and acceptance.
"He's composed and although I wouldn't say he's not frightened, he's remained courageous and is showing incredible fortitude," Mr Lasry said from Singapore.
"He was calm, reflective, rational and obviously preparing himself for the end of his life, which I must say takes my breath away.
"The thing I'll take from this case is the privilege of being able to spend time with this young man at this stage.
"I've never believed that anyone could show the kind of courage that he's demonstrated in the face of this kind of adversity."
Mr Lasry said Nguyen was preparing himself to die.
"He's getting spiritual and physical support at Changi through a number of people including a number of prison staff," he said.
"He's composed and strong and concerned for the welfare of others, for his family."
Nguyen's mother Kim and his twin brother Khoa will fly to Singapore to visit him in Changi prison next week.
It will be the first time Nguyen has seen his brother since he was caught with 396 grams of heroin at Changi airport in 2002.
He told the court he was trafficking heroin to help pay off legal fees incurred by Khoa.
"He loves his brother and wants to see him before he dies," Mr Lasry said.
Mr McMahon said Nguyen was grateful for the support of many people, including Prime Minister John Howard who visited his mother last Tuesday.
"What I was able to tell Van was how Mr Howard had met with his mother and how kind and considerate he had been to her and Van was deeply moved by that," Mr McMahon said.
Mr Lasry said Nguyen's legal team had not given up and were looking at a number of options available to them, including appealing to the United Nation's International Court of Justice (ICJ).
"We'll be approaching the Australian Government this week to discuss with them whether its feasible," Mr Lasry said.
Nguyen's lawyers will also be appealing to the Government to raise the matter at Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Malta next week.
Meanwhile an international campaign to abolish Singapore's mandatory death penalty would continue after his death.
"Even if our client is executed as he probably will be, the campaign against Singapore's mandatory death sentence (for heroin trafficking and possession of more than 15 grams of heroin) will continue," Mr Lasry said.
Mr Lasry said today's visit with Nguyen, the first in months, was probably the most difficult in his career.
But it was his next visit in 10 days which would be the hardest.
"It will be a farewell," he said.
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.