MPs & NGO Urge Malaysian Govt To Intervene In Drug Mule's Death Sentence In Singapore
Bukit Gelugor MP Ramkarpal Singh said Pannir Selvam was unaware the package he delivered contained heroin.
Several Malaysian members of parliament (MPs) and Amnesty International Malaysia are urging the government to intervene in the impending execution of a Malaysian convicted of drug trafficking in Singapore
According to the New Straits Times, Bukit Gelugor MP Ramkarpal Singh and the family of 38-year-old Pannir Selvam, during a press conference on Monday, 17 February, said Malaysian police have only recently begun investigating the individual who recruited Pannir and handed him the drug-filled package in 2017.
Ramkarpal said Pannir was a victim in this situation, as he was unaware the package he delivered to Singapore contained heroin.
"With all due respect, we believe that Pannir Selvam is a drug mule and should not be executed while the drug syndicates remain free, likely strategising new ways to recruit victims from Malaysia to smuggle drug packages across borders unknowingly," he said.
He appealed to the Singaporean government to halt the execution, citing Pannir's cooperation in Malaysia's investigation.
Pannir was arrested at Woodlands Checkpoint on 4 September 2014 at the age of 27, after officers found heroin in his possession
He was convicted by the Singapore High Court on 27 June 2017 and sentenced to death, as trafficking more than 15g of heroin is a capital offence under Singaporean law.
According to Ramkarpal, Pannir was given the package by a Malaysian who claimed it contained medication for a recipient in Singapore. Pannir consistently denied knowing it contained heroin.
He added that Pannir then cooperated with authorities, providing details including the name, MyKad number, home address, and phone number of the Malaysian who handed him the package, as well as information that helped Singaporean police apprehend the Singaporean suspect.
His family recently lodged another police report against the Malaysian who recruited Pannir, and was informed that an investigation file had been opened
After nearly a decade of waiting, an officer has been assigned to the case.
However, just days later, on Sunday, 16 February, the family received Pannir's execution notice, scheduled for Thursday, 20 February.
Ramkarpal urged the government to appeal for a delay and to seek Pannir's repatriation to Malaysia, where he could serve his sentence while assisting in the investigation.
Also present at the press conference were Subang Jaya MP Wong Chen, Bukit Bendera MP Syerleena Abdul Rashid, Batu MP Prabakaran Parameswaran, former Batu Kawan MP Kasthuri Patto, and representatives from human rights groups.
Amnesty International Malaysia also expressed deep concern over the numerous human rights violations in Pannir's case.
In a statement issued the same day, they said, "He was sentenced to death for drugs-related offences, which do not meet the threshold of 'most serious crimes', to which the use of the punishment must be restricted under international human rights law and standards."
In 2022, a Malaysian man with a lower-than-average IQ of 69 was hanged in Singapore despite push back by human rights groups:
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