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Singapore court dismisses mentally disabled man’s death sentence appeal

SINGAPORE (AFP) – Singapore’s top court yesterday dismissed a mentally disabled Malaysian man’s last-ditch appeal against a death sentence, with his family saying they were “devastated” and “shocked” by the ruling.

Nagaenthran K Dharmalingam was arrested in 2009 for trafficking a small amount of heroin into the city-state, which has some of the world’s toughest drugs laws, and handed a then mandatory death sentence the following year.

He was originally scheduled to be hanged last November, but the plan sparked criticism due to concerns about his intellectual disabilities, with the European Union (EU) and British billionaire Richard Branson among those condemning it.

The 34-year-old lodged a final appeal, with his lawyers arguing that executing someone with mental disabilities violated international law.

But the Court of Appeal rejected the challenge, with Singapore’s Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon saying it had “no factual and legal basis”, and domestic legislation takes precedence over international law.

Nagaenthran had been “afforded due process” and his defence had put “nothing forward to suggest that he has a case”, he said, adding the Malaysian’s lawyers were filing “hopeless” motions after several appeals had already been rejected.

Activists holding placards attend a candlelight vigil against the impending execution of Nagaenthran K Dharmalingam outside the Singaporean embassy in Kuala Lumpur. PHOTO: AFP

Nagaenthran, wearing a purple prison outfit and white face mask, looked sombre throughout the proceedings.

M Ravi, a human rights lawyer assisting in the case, said no more appeals would be lodged and the execution could take place in days.

Speaking to AFP from Malaysia, his sister Sarmila Dharmalingam sobbed as she said the family was “devastated”.

“We are shocked by the court decision despite my brother… having a low IQ.” His long-running case has been “a horrifying ordeal for us”, she added.

Reprieve, an NGO that campaigns against the death penalty, said hanging Nagaenthran would be a “travesty of justice” that breached Singapore’s commitments to champion the rights of the disabled.

“We urge President Halimah Yacob to listen to the cries for mercy within Singapore and around the world… and spare the life of this vulnerable man,” the group’s director Maya
Foa said.

The appeal was supposed to take place months ago but was delayed after Nagaenthran contracted COVID-19.

There have not been any executions in Singapore since 2019, but concerns are growing that the city-state is gearing up to hang several drug traffickers in the coming months.

Earlier this month, a court rejected appeals by three other men sentenced to death for drug offences, despite criticism from the United Nations (UN) and campaigners.

Singapore is among more than 30 countries worldwide where drug-related offences are still punishable by death, according to Amnesty International.

Nagaenthran was arrested at the age of 21 after a bundle of heroin weighing about 43 grammes – equivalent to about three tablespoons – was found strapped to his thigh as he sought to enter Singapore.

Supporters said he has an IQ of 69 – a level recognised as a disability – and was coerced into committing the crime.

But authorities have defended his conviction, saying that legal rulings found he “knew what he was doing” at the time of the offence.

The city-state maintains the death penalty for several offences, including drug trafficking and murder, and insisted it has helped to keep Singapore one of Asia’s safest places.

US brands Russian firm Kaspersky ‘security threat’

WASHINGTON (AFP) – United States (US) regulators have deemed antivirus software maker Kaspersky a “threat to national security,” a designation that will restrict its dealings in the US.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has added Kaspersky to a threat list – which blocks paying the firm with certain US government subsidies – that also includes companies like Huawei and ZTE.

The FCC’s statement released did not mention Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, but Kaspersky responded to the designation by saying it was imposed “on political grounds.”

“This decision is not based on any technical assessment of Kaspersky products,” the firm added in a statement.

German cybersecurity agency BSI urged consumers earlier this month against using Kaspersky’s antivirus software, warning that the company could be implicated – willingly or unwillingly – in hacking assaults amid Russia’s war in Ukraine.

The addition of Kaspersky to the threat list blocks money from the FCC’s fund that supports telecommunications in rural areas.

Home isolation for travellers?

I’m writing in response to a news article, “Requirements ease for COVID recovered travellers”, which was published in the Bulletin on March 28.

It makes sense for the decision to ease travelling requirements for those who have recovered from COVID-19. After all, they have immunity against the virus for three months.

However, my question is for those who don’t have the COVID recovery certificate.

Given that the current third wave has seen COVID-positive individuals being allowed to undergo home isolation, can such a leniency be extended to incoming travellers, especially those who reside in the Sultanate?

The typical quarantine period is a week, and each day at the quarantine centre will set a traveller back at least BND50. It is a lot of money, especially if they test positive for COVID-19 during their time in isolation.

Explorer

TikTok expands its reach in Southeast Asia

    ANN/JAPAN YOMIURI NEWS – Short video-sharing app TikTok added Thailand, Vietnam and Malaysia into its shop destinations this month, expanding its e-commerce footprint in Southeast Asia, after early overseas trials in Indonesia and the United Kingdom (UK).

    TikTokShop, where users can buy things and make payments in one go, is a vital part in completing its business loop. Prior to that, online merchants could only use third-party links to sell their goods.

    The move has attracted many Chinese cross-border firms to enter new markets in the three countries. Yang Kan’s team is one of those following this trend. His successful marketing management in the UK on TikTok has helped his team gain overseas experience and access the resources of key opinion leaders and key opinion consumers across the world.

    Yang told Chinese news portal Jiemian that first of all, TikTok e-commerce in Southeast Asia aims to attract traffic at low prices-engaging with consumers through affordable commodities. These goods come not only from platform merchants, but also from TikTok itself. Second, TikTok has provided subsidies for consumers, such as free shipping, he added.

    Currently, TikTok is also willing to expose social media influencers to more audiences, Yang said.

    Another cross-border company, Newme, chose to establish its own brand, recruiting and training its own influencers in China, according to Jiemian. The company previously targetted the UK market and now is planning to enter the Southeast Asia market as well.

    One investor focussing on the cross-border business told Jiemian that as Chinese brands go overseas, traditional marketing methods are no longer enough to connect brands with local consumers. Cross-border service providers for these brands can play an intermediary role.

    And Chinese service providers on Douyin have developed a whole methodology that can be replicated overseas.

    Digital consumption has now become a way of life in Southeast Asia, data from e-Conomy SEA 2021 report showed, released by Google, Temase and Bain.

    According to the report, 40 million new Internet users came online in 2021, bringing Internet penetration in Southeast Asia to 75 per cent. Eight in 10 of these users have purchased something online at least once.

    Belgian club goalkeeper Van Damme dies from leukemia aged 28

    BRUSSELS (AP) – Cercle Brugge goalkeeper Miguel Van Damme has died following a long fight against leukemia, his club said yesterday. He was 28.

    Van Damme started in the Belgian first division in 2014 but played less than 50 games as his career was disrupted by the disease.

    He was diagnosed with leukemia in 2016. He recovered but relapsed and announced in September 2020 that his treatment was no longer effective.

    ”Words are not enough to describe what we feel, even though we knew that things had not gone well for a while,” Cercle Brugge said in a statement.

    ”Miguel, your perseverance and strength to go for it over and over, setback after setback, was admirable. You are an example of positivism, persistence and fighting spirit. A source of inspiration for everyone who fights.”

    Van Damme is survived by his wife Kyana and his daughter Camille.

    Over BND1M in Zakat Fitrah collected in 2021

    Azlan Othman

    A total of BND1,013,534.93 in Zakat Fitrah (tithe) money was collected from 357,868 Muslims in the Sultanate in 2021, while BND977,815.59 was collected from 346,103 Muslims in the previous year, statistics from the Brunei Islamic Religious Council (MUIB) revealed yesterday.

    This showed a 3.4-per-cent increase in the number of Muslims paying Zakat Fitrah and a 3.65-per-cent increase in the amount of Zakat Fitrah collected in 2021 compared to the
    previous year.

    Meanwhile, BND17,881,059.83 in Zakat Harta (property tithe) money was collected from 5,305 Muslims in 2021, while BND17,014,690.53 was collected from 5,683 Muslims the previous year, showing a drop in the number of Muslims paying such tithe by 6.66 per cent.

    Nonetheless, the amount of Zakat Harta collected in 2021 saw a 5.09-per-cent increase compared to the year before.

    The collection and payment of tithe are conducted at mosques, suraus, religious halls, Amil residences (comprising village heads), Collection and Distribution Division of MUIB and its branches at Religious Affairs Offices in Belait, Tutong and Temburong districts.

    In addition, Islamic financial institutions like Perbadanan Tabung Amanah Islam Brunei (TAIB) and Bank Islam Brunei Darussalam (BIBD), have also been appointed as Amil to collect Zakat Harta for depositors in both financial institutions.

    To facilitate Muslims in paying the obligatory tithe, online payment services will also be available with cooperation from the Ministry of Religious Affairs, BIBD, Perbadanan TAIB, DST, Progresif and imagine.

    EU states freeze USD130M worth of Lebanese assets

    BEIRUT (AP) – Authorities in three European countries have frozen more than USD130 million in assets linked to an investigation into money laundering in Lebanon, an European Union (EU) agency said on Monday.

    The measures taken by officials in France, Germany and Luxembourg come as Lebanon grapples with an economic crisis and coincide with domestic and European investigations of its long-time central bank governor, Riad Salameh. The crisis, which started in October 2019, is rooted in decades of corruption and mismanagement.

    The EU Agency for Criminal Justice Cooperation (Eurojust), said the investigation targets five suspects accused of money laundering.

    It did not identify the five, adding that they are suspected of embezzling public funds in Lebanon amounting to more than USD330 million and EUR5 million (USD5.5 million) respectively, between 2002 and 2021.

    It said the assets that were frozen on Friday amount to EUR120 million (USD131.6 million).

    It was not immediately clear if the case is linked to the investigation of Salameh, who was charged by a Lebanese judge earlier this month with illegal enrichment and money laundering.

    Salameh’s brother, Raja, has been under arrest since March 17, over corruption charges. The Salameh brothers’ assets have been frozen in Lebanon under an order from a judge in the Lebanese money laundering case. A Lebanese judge had said that Riad Salameh had used his brother to buy real estate in France worth nearly USD12 million.

    There have also been reports that a brokerage firm, Forry Associates Ltd, owned by Raja Salameh, was hired by the central bank to handle government bond sales in which the firm received USD330 million in commissions.

    Eurojust said the suspects in the main investigation “are assumed to be innocent until they have been proven guilty, according to law“.

    It said judicial authorities in Germany seized assets worth more than EUR35 million (USD38.4 million).

    French authorities seized assets worth at least EUR18.2 million (USD20 million) and bank accounts worth EUR46 million (USD50.5 million) in Monaco. They also seized a building in Brussels worth EUR7 million (USD7.7 million). In Luxembourg, approximately EUR11 million (USD12 million) were seized across several bank accounts, it said.

    A Lebanese banker said the Eurojust statement “did not give any hint, or proof or a fact that the assets frozen are linked or related in any way into Forry’s operations“, although he noted the numbers involved were similar. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak to the media.

    Indonesia extends mobility restrictions outside Java, Bali

    JAKARTA (BERNAMA) – Indonesia has extended public mobility restrictions outside Java and Bali from yesterday to April 11 based on the current COVID-19 situation, Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto said yesterday.

    Meanwhile, worship activities such as optional evening Tarawih prayers in mosques are allowed to be carried out during the Ramadhan fasting month, said the minister, who is also the coordinator for the implementation of public mobility restrictions, said Xinhua.

    In his statement, the minister noted that 45 per cent of the targetted population have received two doses of COVID-19 vaccines, while 60 per cent have received their first dose.

    Hartarto called on the heads of regional administrations in Indonesia to anticipate the potential for further spread of COVID-19 and increase the coverage of two doses of vaccination plus a booster, especially for the elderly.

    He also asked for the enforcement of the mandatory provisions for booster and antigen tests for people going home to their villages for Aidilfitri, while calling for preparation for health facilities to anticipate the potential increase in positive COVID-19 cases after the fasting month and Muslim post-fasting festivities.

    Tourists visit Kuta beach, Bali, Indonesia. PHOTO: AP

    More than just a vitamin?

      Barbara Intermill

      ANN/THE STAR – Experts at the Linus Pauling Institute in the United States (US), sponsored an extremely interesting presentation of vitamin C recently.

      You may remember Dr Linus Pauling, a brilliant and sometimes controversial chemist who published books and articles on the role of vitamin C and other nutrients in human health.

      The institute at Oregon State University that bears his name continues to carry out this type of research.

      The webinar opened my eyes to a whole new area of investigation, however. Instead of discussing vitamin C and the common cold, researchers Dr Jeanne Drisko and Dr Chen Qi from the University of Kansas, are now studying the use of vitamin C infusions to treat certain diseases, including cancer.

      As wild as it may sound, the experts are finding evidence that giving large doses of vitamin C intravenously makes the vitamin work as a drug, not a nutrient. The approach is showing some encouraging results in the treatment of certain health conditions.

      Vitamin C is still extremely important as a nutrient, however. So much so that I gleaned the information from the Institute’s 100 Questions about Vitamin C.

      DO WE GET ENOUGH VITAMIN C IN OUR DIETS TO KEEP OUR IMMUNE SYSTEM HEALTHY?
      Maybe not.
      Experts recommend a daily multivitamin supplement that contains vitamin C, in addition to a diet high in fruits and vegetables, especially those rich in vitamin C such as kiwi, citrus fruit and bell peppers.

      IS IT BETTER TO TAKE NATURAL OR SYNTHETIC FORMS OF VITAMIN C?
      Both forms are chemically the same and our bodies do not distinguish any difference between them.

      Claims that “natural vitamin C” is better are not supported by science. In addition, vitamin C supplements are better absorbed if taken in smaller doses.

      Two hundred milligrammes is absorbed better than 500mg, for example.

      And don’t waste your money on sustained release vitamin C supplements – they appear to be less absorbed than other forms.

      HOW DO WE FIND THE BEST BRAND OF SUPPLEMENTS?
      Good question, since vitamin manufacturers are not required to prove their products contain the exact amount of ingredients listed on the label.

      Look for products that display ‘NSF’ or ‘USP’ logos.

      They have been tested for potency and purity.

      WHAT ABOUT VITAMIN C SUPPLEMENTS AND KIDNEY STONES?
      If you have a history of calcium oxalate kidney stones, vitamin C supplements may not be a good idea.

      And especially don’t exceed 500mg of supplemental vitamin C per day.

      By the way, research has shown that the regular use of vitamin C supplements can shorten the duration of a cold, but they do not reduce your risk for getting sick in the first place.

      And interestingly, there are no proven benefits for taking extra supplements once cold symptoms have already begun.

      Consuming artificial sweeteners linked to cancer risk: Study

      AFP – Consuming artificial sweetener could increase the risk of developing cancer, a study suggested, but experts not involved in the research said it was not enough proof to consider changing current health advice.

      Sweeteners are consumed by millions every day in products like diet soda, partly as a way to avoid weight gain from sugar – but how healthy these substitutes are has long been a matter of controversy.

      To assess the cancer risk of sweeteners, researchers analysed the data of over 100,000 people in France who self-reported their diet, lifestyle and medical history in intervals between 2009-2021 as part of the NutriNet-Sante study.

      They then compared consumption to the rate of cancer, while adjusting for other variables such as smoking, poor diet, age and physical activity.

      The participants who consumed the largest amount of sweeteners, “beyond the median amount, had an increased cancer risk of 13 per cent compared to non-consumers”, research director at France’s INSERM institute and the study’s supervisor Mathilde Touvier told AFP.

      The study, published in the journal PLOS Medicine, said a higher cancer risk was particularly seen with sweeteners aspartame and acesulfame potassium – both used in many soft drinks.

      Out of the 103,000 participants, 79 per cent were women and 37 per cent.

      Soft drinks accounted for over half of the artificial sweeteners consumed, while table-top sweeteners represented 29 per cent.

      Touvier said “we cannot totally exclude biases linked to the lifestyle of consumers”, calling for further research to confirm the study’s results.

      The United States (US) National Cancer Institute and Cancer Research United Kingdom (UK) both said sweeteners do not cause cancer, and they have been authorised for use by the European Food Safety Authority.

      “The relationship between artificial sweetener consumption and cancer risk is a controversial one, going back to the 1970s when (sweetener) cyclamate was banned for being linked to bladder cancer in rats – although this was never shown to be the case in humans,” a biomedical scientist at Britain’s Aston University James Brown said.

      Brown, who was not involved in the study, told AFP it was “reasonably well-designed” and had an “impressive” sample size.

      But he added he did not “believe the current study provides strong enough evidence” for Britain’s National Health Service to “change its advice just yet”.

      Michael Jones of The Institute of Cancer Research, London said that the link reported in the study “does not imply causation” and was “not proof that artificial sweeteners cause cancer”.

      He said the findings could suggest that “cancer risk may be raised in the type of person who uses artificial sweetener rather than the sweetener itself”.

      Brown said not all sweeteners were equal, with some such as stevia showing health benefits.

      Artificial sweeteners are “still likely a useful tool that can help reduce weight gain when replacing sugar – if the right sweetener is used”, he said.

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      Borneo Bulletin is the leading English daily in the country. It was first published by Brunei Press. Today, Borneo Bulletin has become the foremost source of information on local and foreign affairs, and the region’s business news.

      © 2013 Borneo Bulletin Online - The Independent Newspaper in Brunei Darussalam, Sabah and Sarawak

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