Twenty-four hours before he was supposed to be hanged here, a Malaysian man was granted a stay of execution by the Court of Appeal yesterday. Pannir Selvam Pranthaman, 31, who was given the death penalty for drug trafficking, had applied for the stay of execution on the basis that he intends to mount a legal challenge against the rejection of his petition for clemency by President Halimah Yacob. According to The Straits Times, the court granted his request, noting that Pannir Selvam was told of the rejection for clemency and his execution date just one week in advance, not leaving him much time to obtain legal advice on what options he has to challenge the rejection. The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said in a statement yesterday that the court gave directions for any application by Pannir Selvam for relief to be filed within two weeks and that any application would be fixed for hearing before an appropriate court at short notice. Pannir Selvam was sentenced to death in 2017 after he … [Read more...] about Drug trafficker receives stay of execution
How drug trafficking affects society
Four drug trafficking suspects killed in Mae Sai shootout
The officers had received a tip-off about drugs being trafficked across the Thai-Myanmar border, and upon arriving in the area, they found some 30 men, each carrying a backpack, trying to cross the river. When the officers asked to check the bags, the suspects panicked and opened fire. The encounter lasted for about 10 minutes. Though none of the officers were injured, four of the suspects were killed. The officers also found 17 modified backpacks at the scene with 340kg of ketamine. The other suspects managed to get away as the shootout had taken place near a cornfield. The drugs have been handed over to related authorities and the case will be followed up with Myanmar authorities. … [Read more...] about Four drug trafficking suspects killed in Mae Sai shootout
Indonesian drug trafficker detained in Miri
MIRI: A drug trafficker’s tactic of hiding drugs in a cigarette box to prevent detection by police did not work out for him. Police nabbed him in a raid at an unnumbered room at Level 1, Lot 573, Niah Land District Office at 8.50 am today. Miri District Police Chief ACP Lim Meng Seah said during the raid, police found a white cigarette box containing 19 pieces of cut up straws containing methamphetamine on the suspect, a 30-year-old Indonesian man. “The drugs weighing 5.5 gm are worth RM750,” he said in a statement. Lim said the unemployed suspect also tested positive methamphetamine. — Bernama … [Read more...] about Indonesian drug trafficker detained in Miri
China sentences another Canadian to death for drug trafficking
BEIJING: A Chinese court sentenced a second Canadian man to death for drug trafficking on Tuesday amid diplomatic tensions between Ottawa and Beijing. The court in southern Guangdong province said the Canadian, Fan Wei, and 10 others — including an American and four Mexicans — had been part of an international narcotics syndicate working out of Taishan city between July and November 2012. The group produced and sold 6.34kg (14 pounds) of methamphetamine and 366g of dimethylamylamine, a drug used for attention deficit-hyperactive disorder, weight loss and improving athletic performance, according to the Jiangmen Intermediate People’s Court. Fan and a Chinese man who played a key role in operations were sentenced to death, the court said in a statement. “The number of drugs sold and manufactured was extremely large and the crimes were extremely serious,“ the statement said. The other foreigners were given suspended death sentences which would be reduced to … [Read more...] about China sentences another Canadian to death for drug trafficking
Fake news must be curbed before it affects society: PM Lee
There is wide scope for discourse in Singapore, but fake news is a distinct and specific problem that must be curbed before it affects society, said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. He made this point in an interview, when asked for his response to concerns that proposed laws to tackle fake news would curb free speech. There is no society in which free speech is absolute or uncontrolled, he said, noting that it exists within appropriate boundaries. For example, speech that is defamatory or threatening in nature lies outside of these boundaries, said PM Lee in an interview conducted in Mandarin with variety show host Kym Ng and news presenter Evelyn Lam that was broadcast on Mediacorp's Channel 8 last night. "We must set an appropriate boundary that would allow us to protect free speech and allow people to exchange information, thoughts and opinions in a meaningful way," he added. Other countries, like the United States and those in Europe, are also grappling with the problem of fake … [Read more...] about Fake news must be curbed before it affects society: PM Lee