Nguyen's body on flight back to Australia

The body of executed Australian drug runner Van Nguyen has left Singapore bound for Australia, accompanied by his mother Kim and twin brother Khoa.

Nguyen, a 25-year-old Melbourne resident, was hanged at dawn on Friday at Singapore's Changi Prison after repeated appeals for clemency led by Prime Minister John Howard were turned down.

Nguyen's coffin was put on a Qantas flight and is due to arrive in Melbourne early on Sunday.

A media scrum mobbed his mother Kim, who was dressed in a white blouse with a white veil over her head, as she and Khoa arrived at Changi Airport.

Kim broke into sobs and had to be led away from the horde by an embassy official.

Nguyen's lawyer, Lex Lasry QC, spoke to the media at Singapore airport as he accompanied Kim and Khoa for the flight back home to Australia.

He said they were coping well after the execution.

"These are two very brave people. They are determined to have a life beyond this. They are both inspired by the courage by which Van faced his death... They will move forward," he said.

Parting swipe

Mr Lasry took a parting swipe at the Singapore Government over its mandatory death penalty.

He says comments by Singapore's Prime Minister that the execution followed the 'rule of law' are offensive.

"A mandatory death penalty where after the penalty's been imposed and the appeal has been lost is then determined by a clemency process conducted by executive government behind closed doors is not the rule of law in application," he said.

"It is offensive to describe it as the rule of law and it's the very thing that didn't apply in this case."

Nguyen's execution triggered a storm of protest and anger against Singapore.

Singapore, which follows an uncompromising line against drugs, also refused to allow Nguyen's mother to hug her son one last time, letting them only touch briefly for a final reunion on the eve of the execution.

The Australian was executed for trying to smuggle 400 grams of heroin from Cambodia via Singapore to Australia in 2002.

Van Nguyen said he had agreed to be a mule to help pay off Khoa's debts.

The Australian reported the debts included legal bills incurred after Khoa's involvement in a brawl in 1998.

Possession of more than 15 grams is punishable by death in Singapore.

Government praised

Mr Lasry also praised the Federal Government's efforts to save Nguyen from the gallows.

"From our point of view, the Australian Government has been in it from the beginning and I have absolutely no complaint about the government's role in this case ... They have given us everything we needed and they've made the representations as we have wanted them."

Mr Lasry said he plans to discuss with the Federal Government how it can play a role in the efforts to abolish death penalty, which many Asian governments still use in the fight against crime.

"I think Australia is in a unique position, having been so heavily involved in this case, to say that the death penalty is something we simply must abolish in every case," Mr Lasry said.

Newshawk: http://www.napnt.org
Pubdate: Sun, 4 December 2005
Source: Australian Broadcasting Corporation
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Copyright: 2005 Australian Broadcasting Corporation
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