The Death Penalty in Singapore: Case Files

• In 2005, Took Leng How, a Malaysian worker at the Pukit Panjang Wholesale Centre came under investigation when 8 year old Huang Na went missing. Took fled Singapore to Malaysia while under police custody. Under the advice of his father, who told him that Singapore laws will protect him if he did not murder Huang Na, Took returned to Singapore to give evidence on how he accidentally strangled Huang Na during a game of hide and seek. Despite no conclusive evidence that Took intentionally murdered Huang Na, he was sentenced to mandatory death. Days before his execution, Took was filled with rage and he told his family that he wanted wear a red suit during the execution, ostensibly under Chinese culture as a way to seek revenge, as he did not believe that he deserved to be hanged. His family pleaded with him to go in peace, and Took finally relented. (This is first hand account from Took Leng How's family) Took's case begs two questions to ponder about: Why would Took Leng How return to Singapore voluntarily to face near certain death sentence if he had really intentionally murdered Huang Na? Why would a person guilty of murder on the eve of his execution have so much hatred in him to seek revenge?

• The trial judge, before passing the death sentence on Yong Vui Kong, summoned the defence counsel and public prosecutor to chamber and asked the prosecution if they would consider reducing the charge given the relatively young age of the drug offender, who was not even 19 at the age of the offence. The prosecution declined and the death sentence was handed to Vui Kong.

• In 2002, Julia Suzanne Bohl, a 20 year old German girl was found with 687g of marijuana in her home in Singapore, 187g higher than the limit which carries the mandatory death sentence. Germany promptly intervened, and because of the politically sensitive nature of the case the charge was reduced to one of trafficking and she was sentenced to 5 years in prison. Eventually, Julia served only 2 years of her prison sentence and she was sent back to Germany. Does the State regard an Australian, Nigerian and Malaysian life as less important than that of a German's?

• The Central Narcotics Bureau routinely uses undercover detective to pose as buyers for drugs, such as in the case of Rozman bin Jusoh. During the trial it became evident that Rozman was intellectually handicapped, taking more than five minutes to answer a simple question like the number of siblings he had. His interpreter and psychologist both emphasized that Rozman was not simply faking it. The trial judge also pointed out that “It was…clear from the evidence that the CNB agent and the undercover CNB officer were more than mere agents, and had, in fact, undertaken a substantially active role in persuading [Rozman] to sell them drugs...". The judge then proceeded to sentence him a lesser sentence of 7 years imprisonment under a lesser charge for subnormal intellect. The prosecution appealed against the sentence, and the High Court eventually passed the death sentence on Rozman after considering that his subnormal intellect was not enough to negate his intention to traffick the drugs.

• Singapore has the highest per capita rate of execution in the world according to Amnesty International, a human rights based group which keeps track of human rights violation around the world. Majority of the executed were for drug offences.

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