As Nguyen Tuong Van walked his final walk, he startled his guards by cracking a joke.
His lawyer, Julian McMahon, related to the newspapers that Nguyen had planned his last words as a surprise for the guards, a last opportunity at humour. He asked of them what has been traditionally the question all Changi prisoners ask as they leave for court for their hearings, except of course Nguyen wasn’t going to court but to the gallows a walk away.
And it seems that Aussie Nguyen, of Vietnamese extract, said that in Hokkien, a Chinese dialect common in Singapore. He asked of them whether he would have a chance, that is, a decision in his favour.
The Sydney Morning Herald put his joke in Hokkien as "Bu chance bu?" which is of course an incorrect quote.
The correct Hokkien phrase is “Oo charn boh?”, and with the word 'chance' to be pronounced as 'charn'.
I am not sure how one would react or respond to that final joke, but I suppose one could always give the compassionate answer of “Parng sim. K'arm bark, chit air nia lu toh kau liao”
loosely translated as
"Don't worry, you will arrive there in the twinkling of an eye."
The joke is that one should not believe too much what the drug trafficker's lawyers say as most of it is just purely for grandstanding purposes.
ReplyDeleteWonder why no highlight on your part on this "saint's" brother (http://theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,17444014%255E601,00.html )who had actually slashed another kid with a samurai sword, but the case was kept under airtight wrap in order not to "jeopardize" the drug trafficker's appeal. Would that have made any difference?
Wonder if there would be any sympathy for that poor kid whose life has now been ruined?!
And the drug trafficker's brother only got a 3-year custodial sentence! That's mercy and justice, Australian style! Yes, just throw the victims of crimes to the barbie, mate!
Aha, so the sins of the brother must be visited upon him as well - I wasn't aware of this "rule" that Tuong Van must be indicted on his brother's misdeamours? Just as well people like you don't write the law, or Rossano Mussolini wouldn't have become a reasonably famous jazz pianist.
ReplyDeleteAnd aren't you just as guilty of what you have accused me of - by saying "Wonder if there would be any sympathy for that poor kid whose life has now been ruined?!"
"Poor kid?" - why don't you be honest and say that there was a gang fight between an Asian gang and an Islander gang?
But you should be happy by now - Tuong Van is dead!
You have got it half right!
ReplyDeleteThe majority of Aussies are happy that Nguyen has gone to the gallows and the majority of Aussies would be happier still if the majority of such scums were to follow Nguyen's path.
If you say so, though from what I saw on Aussie TV, about the crowd in Martin Place in Sydney, Sing High Comm in Canberra, Melbourne etc, that didn't seem the case.
ReplyDeleteBut if it makes you happy to believe that most people agreed with your feelings to see Nguyen dead, so be it.
Some of use don't share your immense hatred for him.
Contrary to what have said, I DIDN'T say so.
ReplyDeleteThe Age said so. Am sure you would have read it!
Or you would only quote articles which are palatable to your righteous consumption?!
Assuming that you didn't read the stuff from "The Age" that I have mentioned, well, here are the URLs -
ReplyDelete1."http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/beyond-the-vigils/2005/12/02/1133422112899.html"
2."http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/beyond-the-vigils/2005/12/02/1133422112899.html?page=2"
3."http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/beyond-the-vigils/2005/12/02/1133422112899.html?page=3"
Or, in case, if you are not interested as it indeed shows most Australians explicitly are in favor of what happened to Nguyen, maybe, your readers might want to be enlightened by them and perhaps, would not be misled, no matter how few your readers might be.
your links - based on 'talkback' where blokes like you would take the trouble to ring up (or write in my blog) to express your hatred. Blokes like me gathered at St Martin Place, churches etc in sympathy with the family.
ReplyDelete"... no matter how few your readers might be." - supplemented by one more, namely you - thanks.
Accept the real fact that the silent majority in Australia supports capital punishment esp. for drug trafficking.
ReplyDeleteOh, maybe the recent poll conducted by Morgan Poll( http://theage.com.au/news/national/sympathy-dries-up-as-many-back-death-for-drugs/2005/12/01/1133422048286.html) must have been conducted not to your satisfaction or, oh, it must have been "rigged" by the pro-capital punishment lackeys?!
Get real.
Oh, BTW, hatred (as you put it), or despise, which I would prefer, ONLY for drug traffickers, murderers and their like, yes!