Ng Kwok Chun
| Ng Kwok Chun | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1 January 1962 Hong Kong |
| 💀Died | 28 January 1994 (aged 32) Changi Prison, Singapore28 January 1994 (aged 32) |
| 🏳️ Nationality | Hongkonger |
| 💼 Occupation | Lorry attendant |
| Criminal status | Executed |
Ng Kwok Chun (1 January 1962 - 28 January 1994) was a Hong Kong national executed in Singapore for drug trafficking.
Biography[edit]
Born in Hong Kong in 1962, Ng Kwok Chun was working as a lorry attendant at the time of his arrest.
Arrest at Changi Airport[edit]
On the afternoon of 26 April 1989, Ng Kwok Chun and his accomplice Hsui Wing Cheung arrived at Changi Airport on a flight from Phuket, and were awaiting a connecting flight to Brussels at 6:45pm that same evening. A customs officer was alerted when he noticed the two men dragging their feet as they emerged from an arrival gate. Both were subsequently detained and then searched, with Ng found to have 4 cloth bags of heroin strapped to his thighs and lower legs, along with 8 blocks of heroin in his shoes, weighing a total of 2.3kg. Hsui was found to have a total of 2.5kg of heroin strapped to his body and in his shoes.[1]
On 15 December 1986, Ng and Hsui were charged with the importation of nearly 5kg of heroin, with an estimated value of $5 million.[2]
Trial[edit]
19 November 1991, Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) Ong Hian Sun informed the court that on the day in question, senior customs officer Michael Koh Keng Siang became suspicious when he noticed Ng and Hsui dragging their feet after they disembarked from the Thai Airways International flight. He alerted two other customs officers, who then kept the pair under surveillance with a view to intercepting them later. Ng and Husi made enquiries about their connecting flight to Brussels, and then walked along the Departure Transit area. They were detained near the Customs Bond Office, and then brought inside to be searched. After the discovery of the drugs strapped to their bodies, narcotics officers were alerted to come and seize the evidence.[1]
Both Ng and Hsui remained silent when called to give their defence, however the prosecution was successful in admitting as evidence oral statements made by Ng and Hsui to customs officers, as well as written statements they previously made to the Central Narcotics Bureau.[3] Defence lawyers did not dispute the fact they were caught with heroin, but argued that they did not 'import' the drugs into Singapore as they never left the transit lounge and had no intention of distributing it in Singapore either. They contended that the question of importing could only arise if the men had passed through the immigration and customs barriers at the airport.[4]
DPP Ong countered that the Misuse of Drugs Act clearly defined 'import' to mean bringing illegal drugs anywhere into the geographical limits of Singapore.
Verdict[edit]
On 28 November 1991, Ng and Hsui were both found guilty as charged and sentenced to death for importing 5 kilograms of heroin into Singapore, contrary to Section 7 of the Misuse of Drugs Act.[5]
Appeal[edit]
On 17 August 1992, the Appeals court upheld the earlier High Court ruling sentencing Ng and Hsui to death.[6]
Execution[edit]
Ng Kwok Chun and Hsui Wing Cheung were both hanged at Changi Prison on the morning of 28 January 1994.[6]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Two HK nationals on trial for importing $5m heroin". The Straits Times. 20 November 1991.
- ↑ "Two HK tourists on heroin charges". The Straits Times. 29 April 1989.
- ↑ "2 accused in capital drug case choose to keep silent". The Straits Times. 22 November 1991.
- ↑ "Death sentence for two Hongkongers with $5m heroin". The Straits Times. 29 November 1991.
- ↑ "Death sentence for 2 Hongkongers". The Straits Times. 29 November 1991.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 "Two Hongkongers and one S'porean hanged for drugs". The Straits Times. 29 January 1994.
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