The recent furore in the regional press and the firm stance of Singapore when it executed Australian Nguyen Tuong Van, convicted in their courts for trafficking heroin, has prompted much discussion, debate and above all, deep thoughts on the death penalty. These include an emotional one by Dr David Martin, a poetic one by K Temoc and a philosophical one by KC Gan.

Since the early 1980s, many Southeast Asian nations have enacted (possibly in close tandem) laws, which carry the mandatory death penalty for drug trafficking and, in some, the illegal possession of firearms and for murder.

Whilst it is not the intention of this piece to challenge the sovereignty of any nation, I will present some arguments on certain principles related to the intent of mandatory death sentences and their implications.