TAWAU: Sandakan-born Yong Vui Kong knelt on the floor and bowed to the judge three times after his death penalty for drug trafficking was reduced to life imprisonment and 15 strokes of the cane at the Singapore Supreme Court yesterday.
Former Tawau member of parliament and Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) vice president Datuk Chua Soon Bui who was present during the sentencing, said everybody including Vui Kong’s brothers Yun Liong and Yun Chung were in tears when they saw what Vui Kong had done.
Chua who joined the Save Vui Kong campaign in 2010, were very much relief and happy that the death sentence had taken a ‘U’ turn to life imprisonment with 15 strokes.
Others who were present during the sentencing included Singapore volunteers who have campaigned for Vui Kong campaign – Save Vui Kong, Give second Chance in life. They were very thankful to Vui Kong’s lawyer, Mr M Ravi for his consistency and persistent to fight for him at no cost.
Chua said she went to Singapore to give the family moral support as it was the final appeal after the law on mandatory death sentence on drugs trafficking was amended. She said this was the first drug case on mandatory death sentence to be lifted after the law was amended.
She said it was also a sentimental value to her that the campaign group was able to pull all the resources together to get this break through 140,000 clemency appeals that were collected.
“I am very thankful to Mr Ravi, Ms Ngeow Chow Ying and the volunteers and supporters in Sabah and Malaysia, especially those from Singapore for their continuous support in spirit and contributions. It has not been easy because many appeals were turned down before the amendment. It was very tough for the family as well,” she said through email yesterday.
Chua added she managed to talk to Vui Kong before and after the court proceeding.
“He said he felt ashamed that he has brought shame to his family and the people of Sabah. I told him that it was through his ignorance to gain a painful lesson, but bring new lights to others. Hopefully, many young people, especially girls and women would be able to learn through his experience, not to get involved in drugs. He was very thankful to all the people although they never met and know him before, for their continuous support and fight for him. I told him that it would be another new destiny in life for him that he escaped the death sentence and he should continue to update himself, to be thankful to others, and help many others in the prison who face uncertainty in life,” she said.
Chua said she would give a present to Vui Kong, a comprehensive English-Chinese dictionary that he has been longing for.
She said Vui Kong’s brother, Yun Liong who is working in Singapore, said he was very hopeful this time after much disappointment in the previous appeals which were turned down. He was very thankful to all the people involved in the campaign and for their support. It gave him the strength and made him brave to continue fighting for his brother so that he and his family would be brave enough to face the public.
Chua said she had appealed to Ravi to try to reduce the 15 strokes penalty for Vui Kong. The lawyer said he would apply to the prison authority to get a health medical report as Vui Kong seemed fragile to undergo such penalty.
She said life sentence generally means 20 years minimum of imprisonment and Vui Kong was in prison since June 2007, which means six years had passed.