Singapore's tough anti-drug policy 'has worked well'
Singapore's Ambassador to US defends Republic's strategy in fighting drug abuse
Singapore's Ambassador to the United States Ashok Kumar Mirpuri has defended the country's anti-drug policy and death penalty stance in a letter to The Washington Post, which addressed it in a recent article.
He said Singapore's anti-drug strategy has "worked well" and the country has one of the lowest rates of drug abuse in the world, in a letter dated Sunday.
"Singapore does not take joy in the death penalty. But Singaporeans understand the need for it and strongly support it," he added.
He was responding to The Washington Post's article on March 1 on President Donald Trump's suggestion that executing drug dealers could help end the country's opioid epidemic.
It said Mr Trump was keen to make trafficking large quantities of the fentanyl drug a capital crime due to its potential to kill many, and that he had privately expressed interest in Singapore's policy of executing drug dealers.
The article also quoted University of Washington psychiatry professor Andrew Saxon, who said America had unsuccessfully tried enforcement and a total ban in its war on drugs. He added that he was completely opposed to the death penalty.
In response, Mr Ashok wrote that Singapore is one of the few countries keeping drug abuse under control.
Singapore educates the youth and the public on the dangers of drug abuse, runs rehabilitation and reintegration programmes for abusers, and has tough laws against drug sales and consumption, backed by stiff penalties.
He noted that Singapore has 30 opiate abusers for every 100,000 people, compared with 600 in the US.
Addressing the controversial death penalty, he said: "Any suggestion that Singapore's judicial process is 'shrouded in secrecy and misinformation' is inaccurate."
This is because cases are tried in open court and are reported, he said. The death penalty is also imposed only for the most serious offences, such as drug trafficking. - THE STRAITS TIMES
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