An Australian man convicted of drugs charges in Singapore has lost his final appeal for clemency and will be executed, Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said today.
Nguyen Tuong Van (25) was sentenced to death in March 2004 after being convicted for smuggling almost 400 grams of heroin from Vietnam. He was arrested at Singapore's Changi Airport in December 2002, where he was in transit for Australia.
Mr Downer and Prime Minister John Howard had pleaded for clemency for Nguyen, who will become the first Australian to be executed for drugs charges in Southeast Asia since 1993.
"We are very sad that this has happened. We have done our best, we have done everything we can to save his life," Mr Downer said. "The execution is expected to be carried out fairly quickly, which is the custom in Singapore."
Australia opposes the death penalty, but Singapore, known for its tough stand against crime, mandates the death penalty for murder and drug trafficking.
Nguyen's Melbourne-based lawyer said the Singapore decision was devastating for Nguyen, his family and "anyone who values humane treatment of their fellow human beings".
But Mr Downer said there was little more Australia could do. "This was a decision made by the Singapore cabinet and the president, consistent with the laws and constitution of Singapore," he said.