Mum says goodbye

Nguyen to hang at dawn

NGUYEN Tuong Van held hands with his mother in an emotional farewell at Changi Prison yesterday, just hours before he is due to hang.

The Singapore Government agreed to requests for the condemned drug trafficker to touch his mother, Kim, and brother, Khoa, before being led back to his death row cell.

The 25-year-old was set to hang at dawn (7.30am NT time) today.

Requests for a contact visit were made to the Singapore Government - the most notable being Prime Minister John Howard's personal approach at the recent CHOGM talks in Malta.

It was at that meeting when the Singapore Government embarrassed Hohn Howard by not informing him of Nguyen's execution date, when his mother had already been advised by post.

The decision to allow hand contact, when it is prohibited under prison regulations, was viewed by many here as simply a diplomatic face-saving exercise.

Approval came though in a Singaporean Ministry of Foreign Affairs statement which spelled out the island nation's ban on "contact visits" between prisoners and their families "like many jurisdictions that authorise capital punishment.

"Such encounters can be traumatic and are likely to destabilise the prisoners and their family members," the government stated.

"But after considering the request carefully, especially the personal request of John Howard and the advice of the Prison's Department, the Singapore Government has agreed on an exception basis to allow limited physical contact. They will be allowed to hold hands."

Kim Nguyen spent some time with her son late yesterday, as did his twin brother, Khoa, and long-time friend Kelly Ng. It would be the last time they would see him alive.

They leave Singapore tomorrow, taking with them Nguyen's body for a special funeral service in Melbourne. While slim hopes remained for an 11th hour reprieve, his supporters all but conceded the young Aussie will die.

Newshawk: http://www.napnt.org
Pubdate: Fri, 02 December 2005
Source: Northern Territory News (Australia)
Copyright: 2005 Northern Territory News
Contact: ntnmail@ntn.newsltd.com.au
Website: http://ntnews.news.com.au/