THE SAD UNFORTUNATE DEATH OF TOOK LENG HOW

this cut and copy was from a popular poster in the forum. i wish to share with everyone the more vivid account of the kind of laws we have here...

From:
makapa
7-Nov 22:52
To:
ALL


123069.1
To: Singapore/Malaysia Network

Friends,

As you know, recent years have seen a strong international campaign against Singapore's brutal death penalty. One of the young men facing execution was Malaysian Took Leng How, convicted of murdering eight-year-old Huang Na. Despite the question mark placed over the convction by an appeal judge, Took Leng How failed in his appeal to President Nathan and he was executed last Friday. He was 24.

Amnesty International will continue to campaign against death sentences. No serious study has shown that executions deterr crime, as the government claims, and mistakes can be made, no matter how reliable a judicial system may be. Singapore is now repeatedly referred to by media worldwide as the country with the highest per capita rate of executions -- as Canada's editorial today on executions in China pointed out once again.

In my message to President Nathan last week on Took Leng How's case, I called for Singapore to take a courageous lead among retentionist countries and move forward on this issue. It is he, after consultations with the government on appeals, who signs death warrants. Former President Devan Nair told Amnesty International that he himself had come to the conclusion that the death penalty was wrong.

Below is a message from Singapore's Think Centre, which has been strongly opposing executions for the last few years, and some media coverage.

Best wishes,

Margaret John
Coordinator for Singapore and Malaysia
Amnesty International Canada



FROM SINGAPORE'S THINK CENTRE:

Dear Friends,Took Leng How was hanged on the Friday morning, November 3, 2006, During Took’s trial, one of the three appeal court judges had doubt on the cause of death. Justice Kan Ting Chiu stated “My conclusion is that the appellant’s conviction for murder should be set aside, as there was reasonable doubt whether she died as a result of the fit. In place of that, the appellant should be convicted for an offence of voluntarily causing hurt as corroborated by the post-mortem findings.” reported in the The Straits Times on 26 January 06.The dissenting judge, Justice Kan Ting Chiu, held the opinion that Took should be charged with the lesser offence of "voluntarily causing hurt" rather than murder. The penalty for "voluntarily causing hurt" is 1 year in jail plus Singapore dollar $1,000 fine.In the case of Took, shouldnt the benefit of the doubt be given to him? Took surrendered himself which counted for nothing during the trial.He made a choice to stand trial that cost his life!! If the death penalty is not mandatory for the murder, the dissenting opinion of Justice Kan plus Took’s surrender, it would have led to a more appropriate sentence - less severe punishment.Background InfoOctober 23, 2006, Took Leng How plea for clemency rejected by the President on the advice of the cabinet.Some 34,000 people had signed a petition against Took's death sentence, submitted to President Nathan. The 23-year-old Malaysian was sentenced to death in August 2005 after he was found guilty of the murder of eight-year-old Chinese national Huang Na in October 2004.In January, the Court of Appeals dismissed Took's appeal against the death penalty. But it was was split decision - the dissenting judge stated that the prosecution failed to prove conclusively that Took had smothered Huang Na. One pyschiatist foundTook to be suffering from Schizphrenia.Former Chief Justice Yong Pung How and Justice Chao Hick Tin had dismissed Took's appeal against the death sentence but Justice Kan Ting Chiu had disagreed with them. The Court of Appeals carried through the decision on the two-to-one majority.News stories below.Regards,Sinapan Samydorai-----------------------------------------------------------------------------November 03, 2006 16:23 PM M'sian Took Leng How Hanged This Morninghttp://www.bernama.com.my/bernama/v3/news.php?id=227655SINGAPORE, Nov 3 (Bernama) -- Convicted child killer Took Leng How was hanged at Changi Prison this morning.His body was later released to his family members, a prison official told Bernama.Took, 24, a Malaysian from Penang who worked here as a vegetable packer, was convicted of killing eight-year-old Chinese national Huang Na at the Pasir Panjang Wholesale Centre in October 2004 and sentenced to the gallows in August last year.Took's hanging came about two weeks after his bid for clemency was rejected by the President, closing the chapter on one of the most closely watched murder cases in Singapore.Took filed an appeal shortly after his conviction, but in January this year the Court of Appeal upheld the death sentence in a split two-to-one decision, prompting his family to start a campaign to save him from the gallows.As many as 34,000 signatures had been collected in support for the petition for clemency.Huang Na's disappearance from the wholesale market in October 2004 sparked a massive search by police and volunteers.The police also questioned Took in connection with the murder. He later fled Singapore for Malaysia, sparking a nationwide search for him by Malaysian police.The father of a three-year-old son later surrendered to the police here and led them to Huang Na's naked and decomposed body, which was stuffed in a box in a hill park several kilometres from the market.Last week, media reports here quoted a family member as saying that Took was mentallyprepared to die and asked his wife, Yuli, 24, to go back to Indonesia and remarry."He had given up all hope and said that after his death, his wife should remarry and forget about him," The New Paper quoted the family member as saying.-- BERNAMA-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------NewpaperI'm ready to die. Huang Na's killer loses death-sentence appeal http://newpaper.asia1.com.sg/news/story/0,4136,116304,00.html?By Chong Shin Yen October 27, 2006 GO back to Indonesia, find a good man there and remarry.This was convicted child killer Took Leng How's final wish for his wife, Madam Yuli.Madam Yuli and son Shun Yang going to Took's grandaunt's flat after visiting him yesterday. -- ALVVIN TOH He had told his grandaunt to pass this message to Madam Yuli when she visited him on Monday.Took, 24, also told her that he was mentally prepared to die.The grandaunt, who is in her 60s and does not want to be named, said: 'He had given up all hope and says that after his death, his wife should remarry and forget about him.'Took's plea for clemency was rejected by President SR Nathan on Monday.The Malaysian vegetable packer was sentenced to hang for killing 8-year-old Huang Na in 2004. (See report on facing page.)Took is likely to be hanged within two weeks .Madam Yuli, 24, and the couple's son, Shun Wang, 3, arrived here yesterday to visit him.They had boarded an overnight bus from Penang on Tuesday night. The journey took about nine hours.The grandaunt - who lives here - met them in Johor Baru.After they went through Woodlands checkpoint at about 9am, they had a quick breakfast at a nearby coffee shop.Then, Madam Yuli bought a packet of chicken rice with two drumsticks and a bowl of prawn soupThe grandaunt said: 'This was Took's parents' instructions to Yuli. They said that these were his favourite dishes and told her to buy them for him.'The three of them then headed to Changi Prison Complex, where they were told by prison officers that they were not allowed to take food in. So they later had it for lunch instead.FAVOURITE DISHESThey spent about four hours with Took in the prison.Madam Yuli had also visited him last month.The grandaunt told The New Paper that Took did most of the talking.When asked what the couple talked about, the grandaunt said she did not understand most of their conversation as they spoke in a mixture of Hokkien and Malay.'Only the two of them can understand each other and this is how they've always communicated,' she said.Took was calm while talking to his wife, a Chinese Indonesian.'And he would smile when he saw his son playing next to her,' said the grandaunt.Shun Wang, who wore a long-sleeved T-shirt and pants with cartoons, was running around the waiting area as they waited to see Took.The grandaunt said Shun Wang was happy to see his father and could recognise him.'He was calling out 'papa' a few times when he saw his father. The father and son also spoke to each other,' she said.When approached after the visit, Madam Yuli declined to be interviewed.'There's nothing much I can say. There's no point in saying anything,' she said.The grandaunt, who had looked after Took while he was working here, said he had given her instructions for his funeral arrangements.' The grandaunt said that Took's parents - who run a coffee shop in Penang - will arrive here tomorrow.'They did not manage to get the bus tickets as it was the Hari Raya holiday and tickets were all sold out,' she said.They will stay here until his death sentence is carried out.