In a speech froom 2009 which focused on where Malaysia's constitutional lawyers seek inspiration and precedents from, the current Attorney-General ("AG") of Malaysia and constitutional expert, Tommy Thomas highlighted the jurisdictions of India, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. In listing these jurisdictions, he made reference to how their constitution and the constitutional courts have developed a robust system over …

By Guo Rendi The case of Nagaenthran a/l K Dharmalingam v Public Prosecutor is, in many ways, extraordinary among all convicted drug couriers in Singapore. Nagaenthran has been on quite a long path challenging his current fate of being a death-row inmate and ultimately, death itself with the assistance of a valiant criminal and human rights lawyer – Mr Eugene …

Mr Salleh Marican, 68, has been interviewed many times since he first declared his intention to run in the upcoming Presidential Elections that will be held, if more than two candidates qualify on Nomination Day (13 September 2017), on 23 September 2017 but most of them have skirted some issues that TOC had the chance to probe him about. Mr …

By Ariffin Sha Mr Eugene Thuraisingam, a prominent criminal and human rights lawyer, was found guilty of contempt of court and fined $6,000 by Justice See Kee Oon in the High Court earlier today for a poem he penned. The poem, which concerned the "cruel and unjust law" (i.e. Misuse of Drugs Act) that led to the hanging of Mr …

By Ariffin Sha In the latest twist to what has been, under all circumstances, a most unusual case, the Court of Appeal ('the Court') has held that its previous decision on case involving Nigerian national Ilechukwu must be reviewed. Chao Hick Tin J, who delivered a summary of the Court Appeal's judgement this morning, stated that the evidence which the …

By Ariffin Sha In a twist of Shakespearean proportions,  Mr Eugene Thuraisingam, the lawyer for death row inmate Ilechukwu, has used evidence produced by the Prosecution to argue for his client's acquittal. The Defence counsel made the case that the results of a psychiatric assessment conducted by one Dr Jaydip Sarkar from Institute of Mental Health (IMH), which was sought …

Prabagaran, a 29 year-old Malaysian, is set to be hung at dawn in less than 48 hours. With the exception of Kho Jabing, all executions in Singapore have always been carried out on Friday at dawn, and barring a miracle, Praba will suffer the same fate soon. At 5.15am on 12 April 2012, Praba was arrested at Woodlands Checkpoint for …

Following Dr Tan Cheng Bock's press conference last weekend, there has been heightened public discourse on the Government's curious interpretation of the following words: "the most recent 5 consecutive terms of the Elected Presidency." These words are from the latest amendments to our ever-amenable Constitution. They can be found in Article 19B, which was introduced to Parliament on 7th November …

Why are cats not allowed in HDB Flats? Did the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) really had no option but to cull those 'noisy' chickens? Why does the AVA euthanize hundreds of Mongrels that come through its doors every year? Why can't animal welfare groups and/or individuals bring up animal cruelty cases to court? (As the law stands, only the AVA …

Dogs are wonderful creatures. Man's best friends have been, deservedly, showered with endless praise. From the story of Hachiko to the poem about how dog is god spelled backwards, we all know of their peerless loyalty and kinship. All too often, both dog owners and people who interact with dogs, find themselves questioning what did they do to deserve such …