SINGAPORE: Singapore executed a 39-year-old man who was convicted of trafficking heroin, the city-state’s fifth hanging this year and the third in just over a week, authorities said on Thursday.
Mohamed Shalleh Adul Latiff was sentenced to death for possessing around 55 grams of heroin “for the purpose of trafficking” in 2019.
His punishment was carried out on Thursday, the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) said in a statement.
According to court documents, Mohamed Shalleh worked as a delivery driver before his arrest in 2016. During his trial, he claimed to have believed he was delivering contraband cigarettes for a friend to whom he owed money.
He became the 16th prisoner sent to the gallows since the government resumed executions in March 2022 after a two-year pause during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The execution comes less than a week after Singapore executed the first woman in nearly 20 years for drug trafficking despite condemnation from rights groups.
Saridewi Binte Djamani, a 45-year-old Singaporean, was executed on Friday for trafficking around 30 grams of heroin.
A local man, Mohd Aziz bin Hussain, 57, had been hanged two days earlier for trafficking about 50 grams of heroin.
The United Nations last week denounced the hangings and called for Singapore to impose a moratorium on the death penalty.
Despite growing international pressure on the issue, Singapore insists that the death penalty is an effective deterrent against drug trafficking.
The wealthy financial center has some of the world’s toughest anti-drug laws — trafficking more than 500 grams of cannabis or over 15 grams of heroin can result in the death penalty.
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Singapore executes fifth prisoner this year for drug trafficking
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Singapore executes fifth prisoner this year for drug trafficking
- Mohamed Shalleh Adul Latiff was sentenced to death for possessing around 55 grams of heroin ‘for the purpose of trafficking’ in 2019
China protests over Philippine coast guard’s Xi images
MANILA: The Chinese Embassy in Manila said Friday it has filed a diplomatic protest against a Philippine Coast Guard spokesman over a social media post that included cartoonish images of President Xi Jinping.
Coast Guard spokesman Jay Tarriela and an embassy official had been trading barbs since last week over issues concerning the disputed South China Sea.
The crucial waterway, which Beijing claims historic rights to despite an international ruling that its assertion has no legal basis, has been the site of repeated clashes between Chinese and Philippine vessels.
Tarriela’s Facebook post on Wednesday included a photo of him giving a speech, with a background featuring a compilation of comical images of Xi under the banner “Why China remains to be bully?“
On Friday, the embassy slammed the post for “attacking and smearing Chinese leaders” in a statement it released.
The move “constitutes a serious violation of China’s political dignity,” the embassy said adding that it is a “blatant political provocation, which has crossed the red line.”
The embassy expressed “strong indignation” to the presidential palace, foreign affairs department and coast guard demanding an explanation for Tarriela’s “malicious provocations.”
In response, Tarriela Friday branded the protest “an attempt to deflect from the core issue: China’s repeated aggressive and illegal actions in the West Philippine Sea,” using the Filipino term for the waters immediately west of the country.
“If the Chinese Embassy objects to images or expressions that highlight these violations — often through legitimate public discourse or even satire — it only underscores discomfort with the truth being exposed,” Tarriela said, calling the response an “effort to intimidate.”
Manila’s presidential palace and Department of Foreign Affairs have yet to answer AFP’s request for comment.
Coast Guard spokesman Jay Tarriela and an embassy official had been trading barbs since last week over issues concerning the disputed South China Sea.
The crucial waterway, which Beijing claims historic rights to despite an international ruling that its assertion has no legal basis, has been the site of repeated clashes between Chinese and Philippine vessels.
Tarriela’s Facebook post on Wednesday included a photo of him giving a speech, with a background featuring a compilation of comical images of Xi under the banner “Why China remains to be bully?“
On Friday, the embassy slammed the post for “attacking and smearing Chinese leaders” in a statement it released.
The move “constitutes a serious violation of China’s political dignity,” the embassy said adding that it is a “blatant political provocation, which has crossed the red line.”
The embassy expressed “strong indignation” to the presidential palace, foreign affairs department and coast guard demanding an explanation for Tarriela’s “malicious provocations.”
In response, Tarriela Friday branded the protest “an attempt to deflect from the core issue: China’s repeated aggressive and illegal actions in the West Philippine Sea,” using the Filipino term for the waters immediately west of the country.
“If the Chinese Embassy objects to images or expressions that highlight these violations — often through legitimate public discourse or even satire — it only underscores discomfort with the truth being exposed,” Tarriela said, calling the response an “effort to intimidate.”
Manila’s presidential palace and Department of Foreign Affairs have yet to answer AFP’s request for comment.
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