Nguyen Tuong Van - no ripples in the murky world of drugs

Sometime in October this year, I was in need of money. I had to pay a debt which I took to pay for my twin brother, Khoa Nguyen, lawyer fees. I owed about A$20,000 to A$25,000 in total to a friend. … He did not press me for payment but I knew he needed the money. There was also an A$12,000 loan which my twin brother took that I needed to repay on his behalf. He only had until the end of this year to pay up that loan. I did not intend to let my twin brother know that I am paying his debt. I had managed only to repay about A$4,000 for a period of 8 to 10 months already but that was just enough to cover for the interests incurred. …

It was only (in) October 2002 that I was really desperate as I had been out of work for four months and I still have to repay those loans my twin brother incurred as well as paying for house rent and expenses. I rented a house in Melbourne together with five other friends. However only (one other person) and I pay for the rent. … As such I started looking around for help. I did not manage to obtain help from anyone.

If nothing else, Nguyen’s story should illustrate the need for mitigating circumstances to be considered. Justice without mercy comes very close to revenge. There is potential in this man, and his death would mean the loss of that potential. This is a man who took on the responsibility for his brother’s debts. He has the capacity to care and it seems that he turned to crime when all other avenues of help available to him failed.

Drug addicts are victims too, of course, and Nguyen is probably guilty of dehumanising his crime - concentrating on the mechanics of trafficking and turning his face away from the end result of an addict’s agony. When you make deals with the devil, you can’t afford to look at the big picture.

Nguyen was stopped before any more drug damage was done. Ironically, had he reached his destination, he would not now be sitting in the shadow of the noose. The pushers meantime, go free. Do they care about the death of an insignificant drug mule? At the most, it’s just a small inconvenience. Another day, another debt, another mule. The supply goes on.

The death of a young man called Nguyen Tuong Van makes headlines and the Singapore judicial system and some members of our own community, are satisfied that justice has been done. But the echo of the trapdoor as it slams shut on Nguyen and the lost opportunity for redemption, causes not a ripple in the murky world of drug dealing.