SINGAPORE: SECOND DRUG TRAFFICKER ON DEATH ROW ESCAPES GALLOWS

January 6, 2014: A 29-year-old Singaporean man today become the second drug trafficker on death row to be re-sentenced to life imprisonment and 15 strokes of the cane, under amendments made to the Misuse of Drugs Act.
Subashkaran Pragasam was re-sentenced by the High Court this morning. His re-sentencing follows changes to the Misuse of Drugs Act, which were passed in Parliament in November 2012 and came into effect last year.
The amendments to the law allow judges the discretion to sentence a courier to life imprisonment and caning if he is found to have substantively assisted the authorities in the fight against drug-trafficking.
In October 2012, Subashkaran was sentenced to death over 186.62g of heroin contained in nine packets.
Subashkaran was issued the certificate for substantively helping the Central Narcotics Bureau to disrupt drug trafficking activities.
In November last year, 25-year-old Malaysian drug trafficker Yong Vui Kong was spared the death penalty and sentenced to life imprisonment and 15 strokes of the cane. (Sources: todayonline.com, 06/01/2014)