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Singaporean man executed for importing cannabis (www.straitstimes.com)

submitted 2 months ago by schizoidman@lemmy.zip to c/world@lemmy.world

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[-] TheTechnician27@lemmy.world 120 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

FYI, The Straits Times is basically a step down from a state mouthpiece. If you don't believe me, just read the article:

The cannabis seized from Omar is sufficient to feed the addiction of about 144 abusers for a week.

Here's a Human Rights Watch article from five days ago not flagrantly trying to justify the state-sanctioned murder of a man convicted of an entirely harmless crime. Fuck TST for this journalistic swill.

[-] wonderingwanderer@sopuli.xyz 27 points 2 months ago

144 abusers for a week

By my calculations, that's about 18 ounces (144/8, assuming an eighth per person per week).

That's not that much, as far as international smuggling goes.

Still, it's a bullshit reason to execute someone over.

If you wanna smoke weed, Singapore isn't the place for you...

[-] neukenindekeuken@sh.itjust.works 16 points 2 months ago

Yeah, I saw that and was like, holy fuck, that's fucked up. What a fucked up country.

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[-] mrmaplebar@fedia.io 91 points 2 months ago

Imagine killing a human being for possession of a harmless plant. It's wildly unjust.

[+] Dremor@lemmy.world 10 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

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[-] ayyy@sh.itjust.works 25 points 2 months ago

Everywhere that has legalized weed had this same bullshit scaremongering about how cars are going to be running over schoolchildren every 5 seconds because everyone would just be driving around high all the time.

That hasn’t happened at all, so why do you still make the bullshit claim?

[-] michaelmrose@lemmy.world 14 points 2 months ago

Weed + cars doesn't seem to be a big problem in a state where legal weed is everywhere unlike alcohol.

A great deal of alcohol is consumed out late at night in places one is likely to drive to and from. Almost all accidents happen to people who are plastered not least of which because drunk people get increasingly confident and simultaneously incapable of judging their ability.

Worse drunk people even quite drunk people can reasonably pilot a car which is why most DUIs are given only after hundreds miles of drunk drinking.

People's false confidence is rewarded right up until they go to jail or kill someone.

Weed rarely produces the degree of impairment and when it does you aren't going anywhere. Also since there are no legal venues to smoke it you are most commonly at home

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[-] funkless_eck@sh.itjust.works 10 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

so why isn't insomnia punishable by death or otherwise? That would potentially lead someone to crash a car too.

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[-] lennybird@lemmy.world 74 points 2 months ago

Singapore is such a fucked up place, yet righties love to act like it's some utopia.

[-] paris 59 points 2 months ago

Two pounds of weed btw. A man's life because he wanted to get high with friends at a party or something. It's illegal to import so it's not unlikely that he wanted to get a bunch and use it over the course of a year. Fucking insane. Also fuck this articles's loaded language and framing.

[-] MBech@feddit.dk 37 points 2 months ago

Also very likely he was going to sell it.

I'm for legalising weed, but trying to import it to a country that is notorious for executing people for even small amounts is fucking moronic.

[-] SippyCup@lemmy.world 14 points 2 months ago

144 people for about a week, per the article.

That's like 1500 dollars of weed. Hardly worth attempting to smuggle it unless it's for personal use for a good long while.

[-] boonhet@sopuli.xyz 11 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

Are you sure it's that cheap in Singapore if it's illegal there? A kilo is about 20 grand here in Estonia, has been for ages. When buying by the gram anyway, I don't know anyone who buys it by the kilo. Assume it would be a bit cheaper them. And we don't execute smugglers, it's just illegal.

I'd assume if they kill smugglers it'll be way more expensive in Singapore

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[-] apftwb@lemmy.world 10 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

"Oh that? That's my personal consumption kilo. Reason for visit? Business."

[-] apftwb@lemmy.world 53 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

Singapore makes it extremely clear this is the punishment for smuggling any drugs.

This is what the paper disimberkment form used to look like before they switched to an electronic version. I think the electronic version says something similar.

[-] theacharnian@lemmy.ca 43 points 2 months ago

That's really fucked up.

[-] faintwhenfree@lemmus.org 17 points 2 months ago

It probably is fucked up. But if you know the consequences of getting caught, why would you risk it? If freedom to do drugs is important either be in a jurisdiction that is lenient.

I mean you can try to change the laws and try to protest and get political change, but that wouldn't leave you much off in Singapore's authoritarian air.

So the question is, was the hit of recreational drug that important to take the risk?

I'm not saying what or what shouldn't be, I'm just saying knowing you know what IS, why would you? It's like you know lava is hot, but you step in it anyway because it should be a morally a volcanic rock.

[-] theacharnian@lemmy.ca 45 points 2 months ago

The guy was an idiot. Doesn't change the fact that Singaporean authoritarianism is fucked up. Being an idiot shouldn't be a death sentence.

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[-] caurvo 53 points 2 months ago

William Gibson (author of Neuromancer among other things, not all of them good) published an article about Singapore 30 years ago. It's titled Disneyland with the Death Penalty.

33 years later and much of this is still very relevant. It has dated somewhat, but accurately reflects what I experienced in Singapore during work travel over the past few years.

At the least, if you're interested in what dystopian science fiction writers think about Singapore it certainly dropped some puzzles pieces into place for me.

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[-] Psythik@lemmy.world 44 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

The cannabis seized from Omar is sufficient to feed the addiction of about 144 abusers for a week.

What the hell is up with this bizarre line in the article? "Addiction"? "Abusers"? Is the the article writer fucking serious with this Reefer Madness shit? What a god damn clown.

[-] phutatorius@lemmy.zip 13 points 2 months ago

Those hopeless addicts are consuming a bit over 3 grams of weed per week. Definite threat to society there.

And of course the guy being executed is not from the Chinese elite, he's a Singaporean Malay.

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[-] rwrwefwef@sh.itjust.works 11 points 2 months ago

It's an Asian outlet. They never really had much sympathy for them.

[-] ohshit604@sh.itjust.works 8 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

As someone who has smoked weed for nearly 10 years now, it is addictive and can be abused.

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[-] kablez@lemmy.world 36 points 2 months ago

Singapore loves to pretend it's a modern country with it's gardens and fancy buildings.

But beneath the surface is an overworked population ruled by a family dictatorship.

[-] icelimit@lemmy.ml 10 points 2 months ago

It's china with a better passport. There is no freedom of press there.

[-] andxz@lemmy.world 9 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

Disneyland with the death penalty. - William Gibson

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[-] orioler25@lemmy.world 28 points 2 months ago

And that's why I'll never move to Singapore.

[-] A_Random_Idiot@lemmy.world 11 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

Because you cant avoid repercussions of easily avoidable actions?

[-] orioler25@lemmy.world 18 points 2 months ago

No, because I require prescriptions that would earn me a death sentence there.

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[-] MrSulu@lemmy.ml 25 points 2 months ago

Challenging to criticize Singapore if you're from somewhere with monthly massacres of school children.

[-] phutatorius@lemmy.zip 16 points 2 months ago

Two things can both be bad.

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[-] NauticalNoodle@lemmy.ml 14 points 2 months ago

the monthly massacres aren't government policy. executing a cannabis trafficker is.

[-] stylusmobilus@aussie.zone 19 points 2 months ago

aren’t government policy

That could be debated. They’re certainly at least the standard they walk past and accept.

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[-] tias@discuss.tchncs.de 21 points 2 months ago

I'm not in any way, shape or form defending the policy of Singapore, but... given that they do have a death penalty for this, why the hell did he carry 1 kg into the country? I've been to Singapore and I was afraid to even let go of my bags for a second, for fear that someone would plant something on me.

[-] john_t@piefed.ee 21 points 2 months ago

People must sign a paper on the plane acknowledging that import drugs carries the death penalty, even before landing.

The result shouldn't be surprising for anyone.

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[-] vantablack 19 points 2 months ago

what a shithole

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[-] Mangoholic@lemmy.ml 17 points 2 months ago

No matter how you spin it thats barbaric

[-] magnue@lemmy.world 13 points 2 months ago

I feel like if you're going to have Draconian laws such as this, you should have to be able to prove that the criminal knew the consequences of their actions before doing so. If not, they should be given a non-death sentence with an explicit warning on the record that next time it will be a death sentence.

[-] prodigalsorcerer@lemmy.ca 26 points 2 months ago

My mom is from Singapore and I've visited many times.

I don't agree with their drug laws (or capital punishment in general), but there are dozens of warnings throughout the airport and on the passport control paperwork (in bold red letters) that you have to ignore to get to this point. They make it as clear as possible that importing drugs is a capital offense.

[-] silentdon@lemmy.world 10 points 2 months ago

Singapore is notorious for having extreme penalties for relatively minor crimes

[-] Agent641@lemmy.world 10 points 2 months ago

"Eating a meal? A succulent Chinese meal?!"

Sound of firing squad loading rifles

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[-] arc99@lemmy.world 9 points 2 months ago

Singapore - "we straight up kill drug smugglers to death and have done so for 50 years". Drug smuggler - "I'm sure they're exaggerating"

[-] itisileclerk@lemmy.world 8 points 2 months ago

I am reading "Singaporean man executed for importing cannibals" and I am thinking "why would anyone import cannibals???"

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this post was submitted on 20 Apr 2026

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