Law Minister K Shanmugam issued a fake news in Parliament yesterday (Mar 2) demonising anti-death penalty activists and accusing them of supporting drug trafficking:
“The activists light candles for traffickers outside Changi Prison. They write emotive stories. But who cares for these very real victims? How many young lives have we saved with our policies? Would you hear a squeak from the activists about these people… the physical violence, the mental abuse?”
Minister K Shanmugam referred to a recent case where an one-year old toddler was found during a drug bust:
“How old is the child? One year old. In that one year, he had already been abandoned by his mother who is on the run for drug offences, and being passed around between these drug traffickers. The young are defenceless and real victims in the war against drugs, rather than drug traffickers facing the death penalty.”
The PAP Minister also accused the activists of “forcing their ideologies” on Singaporeans:
“Singapore should not ease up its tough stance, especially when the region is home to the Golden Triangle. The Golden Triangle is the largest methamphetamine market in the world where heroin and methamphetamine trafficking is estimated to generate more than US$32 billion (S$42 billion) annually. So let’s not kid ourselves. International criminal syndicates operate in this region, attracted by the lucrative profits. Being a major transport and commercial hub makes us susceptible both as a transit point and import market because of the wealth factor… We have to be firm in resisting those who try to force their ideologies on us.”