Shanmugam Murugesu
Encyclopedia
Shanmugam "Sam" Murugesu (c.1967 – 13 May 2005) was a Tamil
Singapore
an executed for smuggling 1.03 kg of cannabis
into Singapore
from Malaysia. Such offenses carry a mandatory death sentence
under Singapore's Misuse of Drugs Act
.
Prior to his death, Murugesu's case was publicized by campaigners against capital punishment in Singapore
, which has the highest per capita
rates of legalized execution in the world. His mother campaigned for his sentence to be reduced, defending her son by stating he spent eight years in the Singapore Army
and otherwise had no criminal record. She stated "Give him 5, 10 or 20 years, do not take his life."
Shanmugam had served in other government sectors like the Singapore Sports Council for 4 years. He had also represented Singapore in water sports events like the 1995 World Championship Jetski Finals in Lake Havasu, Arizona, USA. Before his arrest, Shanmugam worked as a taxidriver and a freelance window cleaner to support his sons and mother. He contributed income to his sister and her 3 children. He did not have any previous convictions except for a minor traffic offence. Murugesu is survived by his wife and two sons.
Tamil people
Tamil people , also called Tamils or Tamilians, are an ethnic group native to Tamil Nadu, India and the north-eastern region of Sri Lanka. Historic and post 15th century emigrant communities are also found across the world, notably Malaysia, Singapore, Mauritius, South Africa, Australia, Canada,...
Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
an executed for smuggling 1.03 kg of cannabis
Cannabis
Cannabis is a genus of flowering plants that includes three putative species, Cannabis sativa, Cannabis indica, and Cannabis ruderalis. These three taxa are indigenous to Central Asia, and South Asia. Cannabis has long been used for fibre , for seed and seed oils, for medicinal purposes, and as a...
into Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
from Malaysia. Such offenses carry a mandatory death sentence
Death Sentence
Death Sentence is a short story by the American science-fiction writer Isaac Asimov. It was first published in the November 1943 issue of Astounding Science Fiction and reprinted in the 1972 collection The Early Asimov.-Plot summary:...
under Singapore's Misuse of Drugs Act
Misuse of Drugs Act (Singapore)
The Misuse of Drugs Act is a national drug control law classifying substances into three categories, Classes A, B, and C. Section 44 provides that "The Minister may, by an order published in the Gazette" add, remove, or transfer drugs among the classes...
.
Prior to his death, Murugesu's case was publicized by campaigners against capital punishment in Singapore
Capital punishment in Singapore
Capital punishment is a legal form of punishment in Singapore. The city-state had the highest per-capita execution rate in the world between 1994 and 1999, estimated by the United Nations to be 1.357 executions per hundred thousand of population during that period. The next highest was Turkmenistan...
, which has the highest per capita
Per capita
Per capita is a Latin prepositional phrase: per and capita . The phrase thus means "by heads" or "for each head", i.e. per individual or per person...
rates of legalized execution in the world. His mother campaigned for his sentence to be reduced, defending her son by stating he spent eight years in the Singapore Army
Singapore Army
The Singapore Army is the branch of the Singapore Armed Forces responsible for land operations. It is the largest of the three armed services and heavily reliant on a conscript army, comprising the majority of Singapore's Operationally Ready National Servicemen .-Capabilities:The mission of the...
and otherwise had no criminal record. She stated "Give him 5, 10 or 20 years, do not take his life."
Shanmugam had served in other government sectors like the Singapore Sports Council for 4 years. He had also represented Singapore in water sports events like the 1995 World Championship Jetski Finals in Lake Havasu, Arizona, USA. Before his arrest, Shanmugam worked as a taxidriver and a freelance window cleaner to support his sons and mother. He contributed income to his sister and her 3 children. He did not have any previous convictions except for a minor traffic offence. Murugesu is survived by his wife and two sons.
External links
- Petition of Shanmugam s/o Murugesu
- Singapore finally finds a voice in death row protest from The ObserverThe ObserverThe Observer is a British newspaper, published on Sundays. In the same place on the political spectrum as its daily sister paper The Guardian, which acquired it in 1993, it takes a liberal or social democratic line on most issues. It is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper.-Origins:The first issue,...
newspaper.