~ By Kumaran Pillai ~
TOC has received more than 100 emails since 4th of April 2012, mainly from the USA, Germany, the United Kingdom, France and Spain, appealing to President Dr. Tony Tan to stop the execution of Yong Vui Kong. The emails were also sent to the Istana. TOC understands that most of the letter writers are supporters or members of Amnesty International.
Your Excellency Dr. Tony Tan Keng Yam and Your Excellency Datuk Seri Anifah Amam,
As a member of Amnesty International we respectfully ask the Singaporean authorities to stop the execution of Yong Vui Kong and urge they suspend all executions and the imposition new death sentences, as well as commute all death sentences as a step towards total abolition of the death penalty. We call upon the authorities to revoke legislation establishing mandatory death sentences.
Thank you for your time and attention.
Respectfully,
Teresa Bessette
Washington State, USA
Amnesty International Member
His Excellency Dr. Tony Tan Keng Yam
Office of the President
SINGAPORE
Your Excellency:
Please allow me to express my most extreme concern for the welfare of Yong Vui Kong, a young man who has been sentenced to death. I most respectfully request that you grant clemency in this case, especially in light of the withdrawal of charges against others in related cases. I also hope that you will commute all pending death sentences in Singapore and seriously reconsider the 2007 UN recommendation against the mandatory imposition of capital punishment.
Thank you so much for your very compassionate attention to these concerns.
Yours sincerely,
Susan M. Innes
President of Singapore
His Excellency Dr. Tony Tan Keng Yam
Office of the President
Orchard Road, 238823
SINGAPORE
Your Excellency,
Yong Vui Kong, a 24-year-old Malaysian man, has lost his final judicialappeal against a mandatory death sentence. He is now at imminent risk ofexecution. I am writing to urge you, Mr. President, to reconsider Yong VuiKong's clemency petition and commute his death sentence, which was mandatorilyimposed.
As you know very well, under Singapore's drug laws, a defendantis automatically presumed guilty of drug trafficking in cases where possessionof heroin exceeds two grams. I believer that this provision violates thedefendant's right to be presumed innocent of a crime until proven guilty.
Please demonstrate compassion and flexibility by commuting Yong VuiKong’s death sentence.
I urge that Singaporesuspend all executions and the imposition new death sentences, and commute alldeath sentences as a step towards total abolition of the death penalty. I alsourge the authorities to revoke legislation establishing mandatory deathsentences.
Thank you.
Sincerely,
Kelly Epstein, USA
__________________________
