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<TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=600 align=center><TBODY><TR><TD width=44>[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Title[/FONT]</TD><TD width=10>:</TD><TD width=546>[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Drug trafficker loses bid against death sentence [/FONT]</TD></TR><TR><TD width=44>[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]By[/FONT]</TD><TD width=10>:</TD><TD width=546>[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][/FONT]</TD></TR><TR><TD width=44>[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Date[/FONT]</TD><TD width=10>:</TD><TD width=546>[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]04 April 2011 1920 hrs (SST) [/FONT]</TD></TR><TR><TD width=44>[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]URL[/FONT]</TD><TD width=10>:</TD><TD width=546>[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1120604/1/.html [/FONT]</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<TABLE border=1 cellSpacing=5 borderColor=#cccccc borderColorLight=#cccccc borderColorDark=#cccccc cellPadding=3 width=600 align=center><TBODY><TR><TD>[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]SINGAPORE : The Court of Appeal on Monday dismissed the appeal of convicted drug trafficker Yong Vui Kong, who is facing the death penalty.
It was the final judicial appeal for the 23-year-old Malaysian against his conviction for smuggling heroin.
"We are unanimous in dismissing this appeal," said Singapore Chief Justice Chan Sek Keong, who heads the three-judge Court of Appeal, dismissing the defence's arguments as "without merit".
Yong, handcuffed in purple prison overalls and guarded by a dozen policemen, buried his face in his hands after the ruling was announced, before being led away by the police.
His two brothers, also in their 20s, were present at the hearing.
Yong was convicted by the High Court in 2008 of trafficking 47 grammes (1.65 ounces) of heroin into Singapore and was given the mandatory death sentence.
Previous appeals to Singapore President S R Nathan and to the Court of Appeal had been rejected.
Yong's lawyer M Ravi expressed shock at the judgement.
He said he would submit a fresh clemency appeal to Singapore's president, notwithstanding the failure of his first attempt.
Ravi said Yong would not be executed for six months as the president mulled over the new clemency plea.
Malaysian foreign minister Anifah Aman had weighed in with a letter to the Singapore government in July last year to plead for clemency.
In Singapore, the death penalty is mandatory for anyone caught trafficking more than 15 grammes of heroin, 30 grammes of cocaine or 500 grammes of cannabis.
- AFP/CNA/al
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<TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=600 align=center><TBODY><TR><TD width=44>[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Title[/FONT]</TD><TD width=10>:</TD><TD width=546>[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Drug trafficker loses bid against death sentence [/FONT]</TD></TR><TR><TD width=44>[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]By[/FONT]</TD><TD width=10>:</TD><TD width=546>[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][/FONT]</TD></TR><TR><TD width=44>[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Date[/FONT]</TD><TD width=10>:</TD><TD width=546>[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]04 April 2011 1920 hrs (SST) [/FONT]</TD></TR><TR><TD width=44>[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]URL[/FONT]</TD><TD width=10>:</TD><TD width=546>[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1120604/1/.html [/FONT]</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<TABLE border=1 cellSpacing=5 borderColor=#cccccc borderColorLight=#cccccc borderColorDark=#cccccc cellPadding=3 width=600 align=center><TBODY><TR><TD>[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]SINGAPORE : The Court of Appeal on Monday dismissed the appeal of convicted drug trafficker Yong Vui Kong, who is facing the death penalty.
It was the final judicial appeal for the 23-year-old Malaysian against his conviction for smuggling heroin.
"We are unanimous in dismissing this appeal," said Singapore Chief Justice Chan Sek Keong, who heads the three-judge Court of Appeal, dismissing the defence's arguments as "without merit".
Yong, handcuffed in purple prison overalls and guarded by a dozen policemen, buried his face in his hands after the ruling was announced, before being led away by the police.
His two brothers, also in their 20s, were present at the hearing.
Yong was convicted by the High Court in 2008 of trafficking 47 grammes (1.65 ounces) of heroin into Singapore and was given the mandatory death sentence.
Previous appeals to Singapore President S R Nathan and to the Court of Appeal had been rejected.
Yong's lawyer M Ravi expressed shock at the judgement.
He said he would submit a fresh clemency appeal to Singapore's president, notwithstanding the failure of his first attempt.
Ravi said Yong would not be executed for six months as the president mulled over the new clemency plea.
Malaysian foreign minister Anifah Aman had weighed in with a letter to the Singapore government in July last year to plead for clemency.
In Singapore, the death penalty is mandatory for anyone caught trafficking more than 15 grammes of heroin, 30 grammes of cocaine or 500 grammes of cannabis.
- AFP/CNA/al
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