Angie visited the Becks at their England home. While Vic and Dave went into the kitchen to pour her a glass of their finest wine, she placed a C4 under their couch. Unfortunately she got busted by one of their security dudes. The Becks sued. The Pitts cried.
On a serious note, here is the real scenario:
Nguyen Tuong Van. 25-year old. Australian. Trafficked about 400g of heroin into Singapore. Arrested. Hanged. The End. Finito.
But instead…
The Australian people got pissed; and decided to shit all over Singapore.
Australian Prime Minister, John Howard:
“… It will have an effect on the [Australia-Singapore] relationship on a people-to-people, population-to-population basis.”
Australian Attorney-General, Philip Ruddock:
“[Nguyen’s death sentence is] a most unfortunate, barbaric act that is occurring.”
“… drug trafficking carries a mandatory death sentence in Singapore…” the exact words announce on the flight’s PA system while flying into Singapore. You have been warned. There was no excuse for the crime committed.
Nguyen’s story was indeed a sob one. Yet again, heroic. He was trafficking enough drugs to make 26,000 doses, for the sake of paying off his brother’s debts. He was well-aware of the consequences and risks from the minute he strapped $1.3 million worth of heroin onto his body; but still he carried on the job that eventually cost him his life.
Singapore was not as kind as her Indonesian neighbor, whom in the eleventh hour decided to free 24-year old Australian model Michelle Leslie from her 15 year jail term for possessing two Ecstasy pills in her bag. Remember Schapelle Corby?
Singapore’s Prime Minister, Lee Hsien Loong in an ABC interview:
“… it’s an enormous amount in terms of the misery it can cause to addicts, to their families, to the destruction of lives, and we have had previous cases similarly with young people with similiar quantities and similar circumstances, and we have allowed the law to take its course.”
A commendable decision by Lee has unfortunately led the Australian public to accuse Singapore of being “barbaric”; but in fact these drug laws have been enacted since 1975 and nobody has ever accused it of being ever “barbaric”. Why now?
Because a fellow Australian was in another country’s jurisdiction, they so decided to make it their problem. Australians are sometimes very passionate about the little matters that they shut their minds, not knowing that Singapore is not susceptible to pressure from outside parties around the world after being led by their previous iron-fist Premiere, Lee Kuan Yew. However many demonstrations they might decide to throw outside the Singapore embassy in Canberra, they have to understand the little or no authority they have over Singapore’s final decision, as the crime was not commited in Australia in the first place.
There was no need for Melbourne lawyer Robert Richter to emotionally lash out at Foreign Minister Alexander Downer, now that the execution has ended. The dead can’t walk. Scrutinies and arguments, hence are not needed.

Some poor sods protesting outside Singapore’s High Commission in Canberra yesterday.
Courtesy of Reuters
In other words, get over it!