The young man from a village in Sabah, Malaysia, now 21, was sentenced to death and scheduled to be hanged on December 4 2009 after being convicted under the Misuse of Drugs Act which carries a mandatory death sentence.
Under the anti-drug laws, the death penalty is mandatory for anyone caught trafficking more than 15gm of heroin, 30gm of cocaine or 500gm of cannabis.
Yong appealed in hope of securing a presidential pardon in October 2009, but his appeal was rejected a month later. His lawyer then filed another appeal to court, based on the ground that a prisoner who wants to file for an appeal has the right to be heard in court according to the constitution.
The drug offender repented during his custody in jail by becoming a devout Buddhist and winning love and respect from other inmates and prison guards and warden. He underwent a total transformation from his gangster life style.
Yong had a death escape finally after a stay of execution pending an appeal has been granted. A hearing on his appeal was held last month [March 2010], but the result is yet to be known.
Singaporean news blog, The Online Citizen, which has been reporting the case closely has started a campaign urging the goverment to abolish the mandatory death penalty and believes the young man now that he has changed should be given a second chance.
great reporting! congrats agnes! love also the additional reading materials you posted. you gave us a complete picture of the different context of the problem.
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