Latest: Singapore single mother awaits death row in Malaysia for drug trafficking. On the pretext of a business trip to China, Iqah was handed a suitcase containing heroin arranged by her Nigerian boyfriend and was arrested by Malaysian Immigration. A campaign is underway to raise funds for the appeal. To find out more, read

We have also heard that since Vui Kong's appeal started, there has been an unofficial stay of execution for all prisoners on death row in Changi Prison, pending the decision of the court on Yong's case. As the case has been dismissed by the Court of Appeal, we anticipate a Changi gallows bloodbath in a scale not seen since the Pulau Senang uprising in 1965 when 18 men were convicted of murder and hanged in a single Friday morning.

Singapore, which routinely persecute dissenters and critics, continue to hang young drug runners while at the same time work closely with Burmese military generals, and has invested billions in business ties with Burma, one of the biggest heroin manufacturing countries the world.

-----------------------------

If you know someone who's charged in a capital case, received the death sentence, or is on death row in Singapore and if you have have your side of the story to tell, contact us at sgdeathpenalty [at] gmail.com


Monday, July 19, 2010

Where to buy Alan Shadrake's Once a Jolly Hangman: Singapore Justice in the Dock

Following the ban of the book by the Singapore Media Development Authority, sgdeathpenalty has received many enquiries on where to purchase the book.

Unfortunately, it is not available in Singapore bookstores as it has been plugged by the authorities, but you can still buy it from all major Malaysian bookstores and through the web.

As of recently the book has seen 4 print runs and has topped the charts to become a bestseller in Malaysia. The bulk of sales are seen in Johor Bahru bookstores, just across the Singapore-Malaysia border.

The Singapore Media Development Authority has stated that the book is not banned but bookstores are adviced to seek their own legal advice if they want to carry the book. MDA's strategy is to soften the impact of an outright ban to make it a prohibited item, therefore directing unwanted curiosity to the book. Yet, when the book was first sold in Kinokuniya bookstore in Singapore, authorities engaged in Communist-styled strategy by calling the bookstore and demanding Once a Jolly Hangman to be removed from the shelves.

Like the Propaganda Department of the Communist Party of China, which calls Chinese media outlets to removed potentially sensitive news materials on the web, Singapore's MDA have use the soft-authoritarian approach to local bookstores such that no trace are left behind. Unfortunately for MDA, their sinister approach can only work to a certain extent in the 21st century of the Internet.

The MDA continues to be ambiguous to bookstores about carrying the title which it has viewed to be as contempt of court. By leaving the guesswork to bookstores, it is hoping that they will take the safer option to not sell the book. Singaporeans' curiosity continue to be stroked as the authorities continue to allow a one sided view of the issue, while not allowing them to read the book and make their own judgement.

With this in consideration, Once a Jolly Hangman is as good as banned even though they try to claim that it isn't. We implore readers to make their own judgment and write their own reviews after reading the book which may be purchased at the following stores.

Buy Once a Jolly Hangman: Singapore Justice in the Dock by Alan Shadrake at these online stores:

New addition: MPH Online
http://www.mphonline.com/books/nsearch.aspx?do=detail&pcode=9789675832000

New addition: Goodreads
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8594832-once-a-jolly-hangman

New addition: eBay http://www.ebay.com.sg/

1. http://cgi.ebay.com.sg/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=300489569498#ht_1405wt_1139
2. http://cgi.ebay.com.sg/Once-Jolly-Hangman-Singapore-Justice-Dock-/320613626260?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_216&hash=item4aa60fb194#ht_750wt_1139


Mary Martin
http://www.marymartin.com/web/selectedIndex;jsessionid=78D817AFCAD8ACBC90FDB71DEE6272F6?mEntry=119535


For Malaysians
It is possible to order Alan Shadrake’s latest book by contacting the publisher by telephone and also by e-mail (though it is NOT possible to order it online outside of Malaysia). The publisher can courier the book to you.

GB GerakBudaya Enterprise Sdn Bhd (637869-A)
11, Lorong 11/4E,
46200 Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia.
Tel: +603 – 7957 8342
Fax: +603 – 7954 9202
Email: sird at streamyx.com

For Singaporeans driving to neighbouring Malaysia:

MPH BOOKSTORE JOHOR BAHRU CITY SQUARE
Lot J3-10, 11, 12, Level 3,
Johor Bahru City Square,
106-108 Jalan Wong Ah Fook,
80000 Johor Bahru, Johor.
Tel: (607) 228 1988 (call to check for availability)
Business hour: 10.00 am - 10.00 pm 
Latest Update: MPH JB has stocked up their inventory with Shadrake's book and it is now available.

MPH MAKOTA PARADE, MALACCA
G73B, Ground Floor, Mahkota Parade,
No1, Jalan Merdeka, 75000 Melaka.
Tel: (606) 283 3050 Fax: (606) 283 3003
Business hour:
10.30 am - 10.00 pm (Sun - Thur)
10.30 am - 10.30 pm (Fri & Sat)

SINGAPORE NATIONAL LIBRARY

Alternatively, the book can be found in the National Library online catalogue. Whether the book is actually on the bookshelf of the Lee Kong Chian Library is unknown, but its status has been "In Process" for months now, a clear sign that there has been orders to halt the release of the book into the archives of the massive reference section of the National Library.

Physical Description   xvi, 219 p., [12] p. of plates : ill. ; 23 cm.
Other Contributors  Strategic Info Research Development.
Search by Subjects  Justice, Administration of Singapore.
 Law Political aspects Singapore.
 Singapore Politics and government

Branch Location Date Call Number Status
Lee Kong Chian Reference Library RSING 23-06-10 English 347.5957 SHA In Process
Lee Kong Chian Reference Library RSING 23-06-10 English 347.5957 SHA In Process

83 comments:

  1. Once a jolly hum chee

    ReplyDelete
  2. I just hope singaporeans will not be stopped by the checkpoint authorities for purchasing this book abroad =)

    ReplyDelete
  3. hope not to be hanged if can buy across the causeway

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Read the Tissue Trail for gripping account of how Singapore death penalty was used as the basis of an international media conspiracy

      Delete
  4. jolly hum ji? wtf?

    ReplyDelete
  5. kena caught by customs, sure hang wan ah !!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Please leave the scaremongering aside and think factually for once. The book is banned from being sold, not owned.

    And also, if the book is being banned from being owned (Kempetai style), Singaporeans should speak up for their civil rights instead of cowering in fear. This is the 21st century already for goodness sake.

    ReplyDelete
  7. The police have definitely made a calculate move by telling the shops to remove the books instead of outrightly banning it

    But by doing that it is as good as banning the book.

    Now everybody wants to read it.

    The Singapore police Force have made a calculated, but failed move by arresting Alan Shadrake.

    Now the eyes of the world is on the Singapore government and the judiciary.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Once a Jolly Hangman has a cool perspective and truth telling aspect.

    By Lydia Shadrake

    ReplyDelete
  9. The book is an eye opening read. I never regretted paying for a personal copy!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Conversation: Sr Helen Prejean, author, death-row spiritual adviser and death penalty opponent - There but for the grace of God ...

    By Marilyn Rodrigues

    The death penalty is still in place in 38 of the 50 United States, but Sr Helen Prejean (pictured) firmly believes that she will see it abolished in her lifetime.

    “I think the tide has gone out and it’s just beginning to come back again because the American people are basically decent,” she says.

    “It’s a surface thing for many of them. If you ask them, they say: ‘Yeah we believe people ought to die who do these crimes’.

    “But if you help them to reflect on it, you get a very different answer.”

    It has been a matter of relevance for Australia, too, in recent weeks with our government securing an understanding that alleged al Qaeda member David Hicks will not face the death penalty as a consequence of his upcoming US military trial.

    Sr Helen is the author of Dead Man Walking: An Eye Witness Account of the Death Penalty.

    The book, based on her ministry to death-row inmates in her home state of Louisiana, has been made into an Academy Award-winning film and, more recently, an opera.

    The 64-year-old Sister of St Joseph of Medaille was in Australia for the first time last month to see the State Opera of South Australia perform the opera, but also to gain support for her mission to have a worldwide moratorium established on the death penalty.

    During a brief stopover in Sydney, she spoke to The Catholic Weekly about her work and life.

    “I now have 15 speaking engagements a month,” she says.

    “I’ve done more travelling than any politician seeking office and I’ve been doing it ever since the movie.

    “I was so naïve, I didn’t know a film would do that.

    “But it’s a way of being of service; I joined the Sisters of St Joseph to be a teacher, and I’m still a teacher, only my classroom has become very wide.”

    In 1981 when she was working with poor inner-city residents of New Orleans, Sr Helen began writing to a death-row prisoner, Patrick Sonnier, the killer of two teenagers. She became his spiritual adviser.

    So began her prison ministry.

    She is also the founder of Survive, a support and advocacy group in New Orleans for the families and friends of murder victims.

    Sr Helen believes that many factors play a part in handing down the death penalty, including race, poverty, religious beliefs and political scapegoating.

    “We target the evil person, dehumanise them, and say they’re not human in the way we are, they are totally evil and so we are justified in killing them,” she says.

    “That is a way of trying to solve social problems through violence, and people go along with it because they are afraid.

    “Once you inject fear into a society of people, they become more and more afraid because they don’t cross over the neighbourhoods and the only information they get about other people is through the media.

    “We need a new meaning of pilgrimage, where people get out of their own neighbourhood, go into other places and meet these people face to face.”

    Sr Helen says that 80 per cent of America’s executions take place in the southern states.

    “These are the states that practised slavery the longest and the lynching of black people the most,” she says.

    “Race plays a part as does poverty.

    “Poor people get poor defence, then when they have a trial the jury only hears one side.

    “Also, people think if you try to look at the background of criminals to see the context of why people commit violence, you are condoning what they did; but Christianity is all about looking at the context, having compassion and saying: ‘There but for the grace of God go I’.

    ReplyDelete
  11. One of the ten commandments says that "Thou shall not kill".

    http://www.catholicweekly.com.au/03/aug/17/14.html

    ReplyDelete
  12. Can anyone get a copy for me ??/
    Send it to me to amsterdam???

    betty

    ReplyDelete
  13. i can send me an email gunnersfc_2000@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
  14. MPH, at JB City Square,Jalan Wong Ah Fook, I was told the book is out of stock, they will get the book next week from the publishers.

    Most probably you can get it at Popular Book Store telepjone 072218970, the shop is also at JB

    The price is only RM38 but if you order per the email will cost you more, Philip Lau-Singapore

    ReplyDelete
  15. Popular Bookstore at City Square will definitely have loads of it.
    MPH one always runs out of good books. I only managed to purchase 1 of the 3 books by Francis Seow. still searching for the other 2.
    Anyone heading to JB to buy Once A Jolly Hangman? can get me a copy as well???????

    ReplyDelete
  16. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Saw today that they have many copies at MPH JB, at 38 MYR with a 20% off sticker on the front (I assume 38 is before discount).

    ReplyDelete
  18. The authorities have demanded bookstores to remove it from the shelves, which is nothing short of banning the book.

    Whatever it is, this book is not even available or allowed to be sold in Singapore, therefore it is as good as banned. Try harder, MDA.

    ReplyDelete
  19. hate to sound racist but if you guys can wait for a month or two for the media buzz to die down, the mats at the checkpoint won't touch it if its a book :p let alone check the title

    ReplyDelete
  20. I was reading the book in the East cost parade park when two policemen came and asked me what I was reading. I showed them the book and they said that I was breaking the law by reading this book. I said- showm me where this law exists and you can then take the book away. They had no reply. They then tried to threaten me by saying that I would be arrested. I got really angry and told them to use their brains for once instead of just following stupid instructions. I told them the monkeys in the trees are even smarter than you.

    ReplyDelete
  21. The book is now MPH's #1 bestseller. Thanks MDA!

    I happen to have access to a scanned copy of the book. If you would like me to send the download link to you, leave your email address here and I will send it to you.

    ReplyDelete
  22. I m really glad this has made the world or at least a few countries outside Asia aware of how the Singapore government works.in short one has no human rights and if u let your views be heard u'll be jailed or fined.does this not sound like a communist country :-)...sad really sad

    ReplyDelete
  23. hello could you send the link to supercalifragilistics@gmail.com ? thanks :)

    ReplyDelete
  24. Hi, could I have a copy too? Thanks a lot!
    ohmig0sh@hotmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  25. Buy the book and support the poor author.

    ReplyDelete
  26. Is the book available in KL?

    ReplyDelete
  27. Please send a copy to stealth0128@hotmail.com
    Desperate for it. :(

    ReplyDelete
  28. Can you send a copy of it to bobblesgum@hotmail.com
    Thank you so much in advance!!!

    ReplyDelete
  29. Hello. May I have a scanned copy of the book? Send it to james2563@hotmail.com PLEASEEEEE, desperate for it. Thank you.

    ReplyDelete
  30. Hi May I have a scanned copy of the book pls? Pls send it @ amrita_dubey@hotmail.com. I am very very curious about this book.Many thanks in advance!

    ReplyDelete
  31. Hi may I have a scaned copy of the book please.
    kunyuramankurup@hotmail.co.uk

    ReplyDelete
  32. Hi

    Can i have scanned copy of the book?

    My email is alan_demarco@hotmail.com

    Thanks for the sharing

    ReplyDelete
  33. Can i have a copy of it? Xiaona_91@hotmail.com. Thanks alot!

    ReplyDelete
  34. May I have a scanned copy of the book pls. My email add is jonassoh@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  35. Can I have a scanned copy of the book pls. My email is lst_139@hotmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  36. Hi there,

    Really interested to read the book - would really appreciate if someone can email me a copy as well please - dfordiana@gmail.com thanks

    ReplyDelete
  37. So typical of Singapore...... In Singapore, it's controlled democracy : you can choose any colour as long as you choose black !!!

    ReplyDelete
  38. Hi can I have a copy of the book? would greatly appreciate it! balls_of_7@hotmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  39. can i too have a scanned copy??? sealteam5_99@hotmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  40. anon, can i get a copy at kee.pthese@gmail.com?

    Thanks

    ReplyDelete
  41. Anon, can I get a copy too? Send the copy to app_Pete_1314@hotmail.com... Thanks !!

    ReplyDelete
  42. To anyone who has a scan copy email to this address jollyhangman@drop.io

    Once the file is received anyone need one can download it at http://drop.io/jollyhangman

    ReplyDelete
  43. Sadly, the government and the judiciary have proven the point of another author. Not only that but they have helped to publicize it. Amazing; they should just buy shares in all the things they hold in contempt of court. LOL.

    ReplyDelete
  44. Look at the state of UK. The british way of handling criminal is too humane and too sparing. People found trafficking heroin can get as little as 2 year imprisonment or even probation . Furthermore, the cell is in better living condition than some of the 1 bed-room flat, our government rent out to poorer group of singaporean. The door to the cell is wide open, each cell has 2 bed (proper bed), Tv in the centre and inmates free to roam. Is that really punishment? I absolutely standby what our government have done to the author.

    ReplyDelete
  45. is there anyway i can get it in SG at a cheaper price? i don't mind a scanned copy either...

    kinibooks apparently don't have the book anymore
    gbgerakbudaya is charging at 87 a copy (after courier) which i think is absurdly overpriced
    As for Mary martin, they don't ship to SG cos the book is banned here..

    email me: dillusional@live.com.sg

    ReplyDelete
  46. Hi,
    Can I have a scanned copy of the book as well? Send to chocxoxo@hotmail.com

    Thanks

    ReplyDelete
  47. Hi there, could you please send me a copy as well? I'm in Australia right now, and studying Criminology, so it'd be great materials to read. audreyktzeting@gmail.com

    Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  48. hello, i would like a copy too :) thanks. Maxinertia@live.com

    ReplyDelete
  49. Can sent a copy to mii too???? Limzhenghao2002@yahoo.com.sg
    Thank you!!! :)

    ReplyDelete
  50. any online version yet?

    ReplyDelete
  51. To all those asking for FREE scanned copies... just head across the Causeway or place an order online! Don't be such a cheapskate. Shadrake needs OUR support to show the PAP their plan to 'ban' the book as well as silent dissent has failed miserably and backfired on themselves.

    ReplyDelete
  52. They should hang those who ask for the scanned or pirated copy

    ReplyDelete
  53. Juz bought this book in Malacca over the Deepavali weekend, it was available @ MPH Mahkota Parade & priced @ RM38.00

    ReplyDelete
  54. I just bought several copies in Malaysia on my last trip there last week, as I intend to distribute them to all my friends as Christmas gifts.

    I live in Thailand and make it a point NEVER to travel to Singapore - not while freedom of speech doesn't exist there.

    ReplyDelete
  55. got 2 copy when i in jb last week

    alan is reported 2 b jailed n fined
    pls giv support
    spread the news
    buy his book if wan 2 read

    ReplyDelete
  56. I'm so getting this book and Francis Seow's books next time I'm in JB. I hope I remember to grab them. To hell with Singapore's ban of books that criticize its dictatorship in democracy's clothing.

    ReplyDelete
  57. Curious that Amazon.com is not offering the book at this time-- that I can see.

    Story?

    ReplyDelete
  58. any idea where to view the following videos, which are considered unofficially ban in sg (similar like this book)?
    one nation under lee
    zahari's 17 years
    singapore rebel

    ReplyDelete
  59. Yes, agree with the above comments about scans of books.The poor (in both senses of the word!) author needs you to buy the book, not steal it by requesting a scan. Paying for the book not only shows solidarity with the author by helping him pay his fine, but also demonstrates to the PAP how they have helped publicise the book by the number of copies sold......
    Please don't steal from Alan Shadrake!

    ReplyDelete
  60. the book is sgd 18
    go and buy please

    ReplyDelete
  61. If buying the book is too troublesome, at least make an equivalent donation to the "Death Penalty in Singapore" if you get a scanned copy. If you steal from Alan Shadrake, you are even worse than the SG Govt.

    ReplyDelete
  62. tay2000sg@yahoo.com thanks

    ReplyDelete
  63. Guys..its gone viral. The book's on piratebay..

    ReplyDelete
  64. ebook

    http://www.freebookspot.co/Comments.aspx?Element_ID=94858

    ReplyDelete
  65. Hey you folks who want my book free! It took several years of research, lots of travelling at great cost and by the time it was published I was still $18,000 out of pocket! But I did not write this for profit - simply to expose what goes on behind the scenes in Singapore. But why do so many people want a freebee in Singapore?-

    ReplyDelete
  66. And by the way, copying the book without permission is an offence under intellectual property laws. Take care - this is Singapore!

    ReplyDelete
  67. Anyone with a Kindle can get it from Amazon, I've just bought it and can't wait to read it. I'm just leaving Singapore after living here for 7yrs and even contacted Amnesty in my first couple of years regarding the rights of prisoners facing the death penalty.

    Unfortunately Alan, freebies are a way of life in Singapore... if you want people to come to your function, there has to be a free prize draw, and even then it has to be towards the end of the night as everyone leaves as soon as the draw is done... they always want something for nothing here...

    ReplyDelete
  68. Shame on you guys asking it for free. At least do a donation to Alan Shadrake's paypal or something????

    ReplyDelete
  69. can i have a copy of the book pls to edwinlkm@aol.com

    thanks

    ReplyDelete
  70. Send me copy pls! sweety_eva0102@hotmailmcom

    ReplyDelete
  71. Just reading it at the moment. Very good. No wonder Singapore has such a terrible reputation abroad.

    ReplyDelete
  72. Terrible reputation you say above,but from my visit
    to Singapore I can say,that it is FAR safer to live there,if
    not even THE SAFEST place I have ever been to,than in
    Australia or England,where lawlessness fuelled by
    madness of lawyers in wigs-many of whom are homosexuals-who dispense satanic leniency.Is it fair
    to build 5 star hotels called jails and spend $100 K
    a year on an upkeep of an inmate there ? And how much do they spend on the elderly or other vital
    projects ? Is this democracy ? Yes the snake charmers at the top - the judiciary,the politicians
    and the big business - tell us on and on,that it is
    ...but it is HYPOCRICY ...Hang them high...

    ReplyDelete
  73. What a ghoulish bunch of morons. This book is not about justice, it is about a Sikh madman who pulls the levers and end people's lives on the orders of the state. He does it for a big fee.

    The Australian who wrote the book is equally ghoulish and has no concern whether or not you get justice in Singapore.

    The best way to inform yourselves is to make sure every capital case has a full gallery of interested Singaporeans and others. It often unnerves judges and makes them focus on proper facts and not state policy alone. It works. But you must have the Lumpah to do it. There is only so much space in prisons in Singapore to accommodate young Singaporeans. If they fill it up what will the world do? What will Lee Tsien Loong do? They simply cannot afford to jail everyone at the same time.

    ReplyDelete
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