Pubdate: Sat, 05 Nov 2005
Source: Age, The (Australia)
Copyright: 2005 The Age Company Ltd
Contact:  http://www.theage.com.au/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/5
Author: Nassim Khadem
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/heroin.htm (Heroin)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/topics/Death+Penalty (Death Penalty)

DIPLOMATIC HOPES FADE FOR NGUYEN

HUMAN rights group Amnesty International may have strengthened its
campaign to save a Melbourne man from the gallows, but Prime Minister
John Howard appears to have given up hope.

Asked yesterday if he would be making a personal plea to Singapore's
Prime Minister to save 25-year-old salesman Nguyen Tuong Van from
hanging, Mr Howard said he had done everything he could.

Nguyen was caught at Changi airport in 2002 with 396 grams of heroin
strapped to his body and in his hand luggage. He is expected to hang
within four weeks.

Mr Howard said his views were already known by Singapore Prime
Minister Lee Hsien Loong and he did not want to provide false hope
that "megaphone diplomacy by one head of government to another" would
save Nguyen.

"I have already done everything I can do," he said. "If there are
other opportunities that present themselves I will take advantage of
those. I believe that my personal views on this issue have been very
strongly communicated to the Government of Singapore."

Mr Howard said that while Australia did not want to appear to support
drug trafficking, hanging was too severe a punishment for a young man
trying to help his brother meet debts. "There is a feeling in
Australia that it is a particularly harsh thing that this man be put
to death, given the circumstances," he said. "There is a lot of
sympathy in Australia for the tough drug laws in Asia, as there are
tough drug laws in Australia, but there are aspects of this case that
do make it different."

Opposition Leader Kim Beazley said the Government had to continue its
efforts to save Nguyen. "We've got to try and keep this young fellow
alive," he said. "I'm against the death penalty (and) the thing that I
hope the Singaporean Government will take notice of is this: this
bloke has got a lot of information and would be a very good witness
who could put some of the Mr Bigs in the chokey on the basis of the
sort of advice that he's able to give."

Amnesty International has published newspaper advertisements calling
on Singapore's cabinet to reconsider clemency. The advertisements
include a letter to Singapore high commissioner Joseph Koh, for
Australians to sign and post.

Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said he appreciated the human rights
group's efforts, but he did not think it would make a difference.

"To be brutally honest about it, I think there is virtually nothing we
can do to change their minds," he said. "I'm sure they have been
subject to public campaigns of this kind from other countries on many
occasions over many years."

Mr Downer said he was still working with Nguyen's lawyer, Lex Lasry,
on information that Nguyen could provide for any future prosecution.
But Singapore Foreign Minister George Yeo has already written to Mr
Downer reiterating that Singapore was standing by its decision not to
grant clemency.

A multi-faith prayer service will be held for Nguyen tomorrow at St
Patrick's Cathedral in East Melbourne.

The service, from 2.30pm, will be conducted by Father Peter Hansen and
the Venerable Thich Phuoc Tan of the Buddhist Congregation of Victoria. 
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