Misplaced Pages

#153846

98-420: During their trial, both Lim and Neoh gave defences that they never intended to kill Chew. Lim stated that he never knew the gun was loaded when he fired it at Chew and claimed it was an accidental shooting, while Neoh stated that the gun, which belonged to him, was never meant for killing or hurting anyone, but to threaten Chew during their robbery plot. However, after the prosecution proved that both defendants had

196-549: A moratorium was imposed on all the 35 pending executions in Singapore at that time (7 for murder and 28 for drug trafficking). During that period of the review of the mandatory death penalty, one convicted murderer, Pathip Selvan s/o Sugumaran , who made headlines for the violent murder of his girlfriend in 2008, won his appeal in October 2012 and was re-sentenced to 20 years' imprisonment for culpable homicide . Wang Zhijian,

294-539: A 58-year-old woman at Pulau Ubin in April 1972. He was sentenced to death for murder in 1974 and lost his appeal before the Privy Council accepted his appeal and sentenced him to two years' imprisonment for causing death while committing a rash/negligent act. In July 2012, the government made a review of the mandatory death penalty applied to certain drug trafficking or murder offences. In the midst of this review,

392-527: A Chinese national who committed the 2008 Yishun triple murders , was sentenced to death for a conviction of murder under Section 300(a) of the Penal Code in November 2012, and another unnamed death row convict died of natural causes while in prison. In November 2012, capital punishment laws in Singapore were revised such that the mandatory death penalty for those convicted of drug trafficking or murder

490-461: A construction labourer, was charged with murder the next day, and he was committed to stand trial together with Neoh for the killing of Chew. On 30 October 1973, the High Court conducted the trial of both Lim Kim Huat and Neoh Bean Chye for the murder of Chew Liew Tea. Lim was represented by Michael Hwang while Neoh was represented by Amarjit Singh. Glenn Knight was the trial prosecutor, and

588-532: A controlled drug in his possession shall be presumed to have known the nature of that drug. The majority of executions in Singapore are for drug offences. Since 2010, 23 prisoners have been executed for drug offences, while only five have been executed for other offences, such as murder. Death penalty supporters, such as blogger Benjamin Chang, claim that Singapore has one of the lowest prevalence of drug abuse worldwide. Chang claims, for instance, that over two decades,

686-533: A death sentence in her case. Persons proven to be of unsound mind when they commit capital crimes, once found guilty, are not to be given the death penalty. These offenders can be sentenced to another form of indefinite detention under TPP , being detained at medical facilities, prisons or at some other safe places in custody, and subject to psychiatric review of their mental conditions until suitable for release. Before they were abolished in 1970, jury trials were conducted to hear capital cases in Singapore since

784-553: A discretion to impose a sentence of life imprisonment with mandatory caning for offenders who commit murder but had no intention to kill, which come under Sections 300(b), 300(c) and 300(d) of the Penal Code . The death penalty remains mandatory only for murders committed with the intent to kill, which come under section 300(a) of the Penal Code. Provided that drug traffickers only act as couriers, suffer from impaired mental responsibility (e.g. depression ), or substantively assist

882-602: A final bid to escape the gallows, but the Privy Council refused to approve their applications, which therefore finalized their death sentences. On 27 June 1975, after losing their final death row appeals, both 32-year-old Neoh Bean Chye and 28-year-old Lim Kim Huat were hanged at Changi Prison . Both men's families, who received their death warrants one week before the executions, travelled from Penang to Singapore to collect their bodies. A Buddhist monk, who counselled both Neoh and Lim while they were still on death row , said prayers and authorized their funerals on their behalf after

980-404: A fun and engaging show for Penangites and individuals who understand the language. With its inception predating the recent wave of Penang Hokkien-focused films, the podcast provides a unique space for lighthearted and casual conversations with no topic restrictions. Listeners can enjoy funny and relatable discussions reminiscent of sharing secrets and stories with close friends. As an initiative in

1078-408: A horse shoe shaped block around an open air grassy exercise yard. The exercise area itself was enclosed in steel bars and had a wire mesh roof to prevent escape by helicopter. Amnesty International reports that death row inmates are housed in cells of roughly three square metres (32 square feet). Walls make up three sides, while the fourth is made up of vertical bars. They are equipped with a toilet,

SECTION 10

#1732798621154

1176-527: A landmark ruling was made by the Court of Appeal in the prosecution's appeal against the re-sentencing case of one former death row inmate, Kho Jabing , who was re-sentenced to life imprisonment and 24 strokes of the cane for the murder of Chinese national Cao Ruyin during a robbery under Section 300(c) of the Penal Code of Singapore. The landmark judgement in which the court, by a majority decision of 3–2, overturned Kho's life sentence and sentenced him to death

1274-494: A member of an unlawful assembly; rioting; certain offences against the person; abduction or kidnapping; extortion; burglary; robbery; preventing or resisting arrest; vandalism; mischief. Any person who is an accomplice (Section 5) to a person convicted of arms use during a scheduled offence can likewise be hanged. Trafficking in arms (Section 6) is a capital offence in Singapore. Under the Arms Offences Act, trafficking

1372-451: A rented car on 24 May 1968. Three of the kidnappers were found guilty of murder and sentenced to death in June 1970. In the first case of a woman being sentenced to death in Singapore, dance hostess Mimi Wong Weng Siu was convicted of murdering Ayako Watanabe out of jealousy in 1970 and received the death sentence in the same trial as her ex-husband Sim Woh Kum , who assisted her in killing

1470-590: A result of this legal reform, 28-year-old Penang -born Malaysian Teh Sin Tong became the first convicted drug trafficker to be hanged at Changi Prison on 28 April 1978, after the High Court found him guilty on 13 October 1976 (a year after the new laws took effect) for trafficking 254.7g of diamorphine across the Woodlands Checkpoint just six months prior to his sentencing. Under Schedule 2 of

1568-415: A robbery when he met them at a coffee shop. He also claimed that Neoh passed to him a revolver and five bullets, wanting to sell them to him, but Lee did not have the money, so he asked to keep it until Neoh's return to Singapore from Penang. The gun, which Lee surrendered to the police after Neoh's arrest, was the same weapon which the men used to kill Chew. Lee also stated that he heard Lim saying that during

1666-433: A second time, had set the main guiding principles for all judges in Singapore to decide if the death penalty is appropriate for those murder cases committed with no intention to kill while exercising their discretion to impose either a life term or death for offenders responsible for such. The main guiding principles set were as such: In Kho's case, the majority three of the five judges were satisfied that Kho, who had used

1764-520: A security area can be punished by death. The terms of the Kidnapping Act designate abduction, wrongful restraint or wrongful confinement for ransom as capital offences. The punishment is this case is death by hanging or imprisonment for life and, if the offender is not sentenced to death, he is also liable to caning . A 1978 newspaper article described the death row section of the original Changi Prison as consisting of 24 cells arranged in

1862-549: A sleeping mat, and a bucket for washing. Exercise is permitted twice a day for half an hour at a time. Four days before the execution, the condemned is allowed to watch television or listen to the radio. Special meals of their choice are also cooked, if within the prison budget. In 1994, inmates had a budget of S$ 22 for their last meal. One documented last meal of an inmate was the last meal order of Tangaraju Suppiah , who asked for chicken rice, ice cream soda, nasi biryani and Milo-flavoured sweets before his hanging, while another

1960-460: A stay of execution was dismissed that same morning, a rare occurrence of an execution not carried out at dawn on Friday. Consequently, the guiding principles from Kho's case also impacted several subsequent murder cases and influenced the sentencing or appeal outcomes of these murder cases, which include the 2010 Kallang slashing , the 2016 Gardens by the Bay murder , the 2016 Circuit Road murder ,

2058-445: A transit point as they believe foreign law enforcement agencies would be less stringent in checking their couriers on arrival if their flight departed from Singapore, rather than from other neighbouring drug producing countries that are high on their priority list. In 1993, a Central Narcotics Bureau officer stated that the drug traffickers they targeted could be graded into two broad categories: Singaporeans and Malaysians supplying

SECTION 20

#1732798621154

2156-470: A tree branch to bash Cao's head repeatedly (resulting in a completely shattered skull that caused Cao to die in a coma six days after the attack), had demonstrated both a blatant disregard for human life and viciousness while committing the crime, and Kho's actions were such that they had outraged the feelings of the community. Due to this, Kho was once again given the death penalty and he was eventually hanged on 20 May 2016, at 3:30 pm after his appeal for

2254-471: Is a local variant of Hokkien spoken in Penang , Malaysia . It is spoken natively by 63.9% of Penang's Chinese community , and also by some Penangite Indians and Penangite Malays . It was once the lingua franca among the majority Chinese population in Penang , Kedah , Perlis and northern Perak . However, since the 1980s, many younger speakers have shifted towards Malaysian Mandarin under

2352-489: Is a normal practice for everyone present in the courtroom to stand and remain silent before the death sentence is passed. The judge will then proceed to announce the death sentence on the accused, who has been found guilty and convicted of the capital offence. The condemned will be given notice at least four days before execution. In the case of foreigners sentenced to death, their families and diplomatic missions or embassies will be given one to two weeks' notice. Persons under

2450-547: Is a reasonably reliable correspondence between Hokkien and Mandarin tones: Words with Entering tones all end with ⟨-p⟩ , ⟨-t⟩ , ⟨-k⟩ or ⟨-h⟩ ( glottal stop ). As Mandarin no longer has any Entering tones, there is no simple corresponding relationship for the Hokkien 4th and 8th tones, e.g. 國 kok / guó , but 發 huat / fā . The tone in Mandarin often depends on what

2548-466: Is accounted as seven tones altogether. The tones are: The names of the tones no longer bear any relation to the tone contours. The (upper) Rising (2nd) tone has two variants in Penang Hokkien, a high falling tone [˥˧] (53) and a high rising tone [˦˦˥] (445). The high falling tone [˥˧] (53) is more common among the older generations while in the younger generations there has been a shift towards

2646-428: Is continuing to rise. Ironically, Singapore's reputation for having some of the toughest anti drug laws in the world has in the past made it an attractive transit point for drug traffickers, as foreign airport officials knew the vast majority people would not risk the death penalty for carrying drugs via the city state. In 1989, Central Narcotics Bureau director Poh Geok Ek stated that drug syndicates pick Singapore as

2744-400: Is defined as being in unlawful possession of more than two firearms. One notable case involving a conviction under this act was the murder of Lim Hock Soon , where Ang Soon Tong triad leader Tan Chor Jin used a Beretta pistol to fatally shoot Lim, a nightclub owner, to death after robbing him and his family of their valuables. Tan was initially charged under the Penal Code for murder but

2842-805: Is in close contact with many other languages and dialects which are drawn on heavily for loanwords. These include Malay, Teochew, Cantonese and English. Like other dialects in Malaysia and Singapore , Penang Hokkien borrows heavily from Malay , but sometimes to a greater extent than other Hokkien dialects, e.g.: There are also many Hokkien words which have been borrowed into Malay, sometimes with slightly different meanings, e.g.: There are words in Penang Hokkien that originated from other varieties of Chinese spoken in and around Malaysia. e.g.: Penang Hokkien has also borrowed some words from English, some of which may have been borrowed via Malay. Often, these words tend to be more technical and less well embedded than

2940-509: Is largely a spoken language, however it can be written in Chinese characters (唐人字; Tn̂g-lâng-jī ), or romanised in the Latin script (紅毛字; Âng-môo-jī ). Penang Hokkien has a growing body of written, particularly romanised material, thanks largely in part to its increasing online presence on social media. Many topics focus on the language itself such as dictionaries and learning materials. This

3038-499: Is linked to efforts to preserve, revitalise and promote the language as part of Penang's cultural heritage, due to increasing awareness of the loss of Penang Hokkien usage among younger generations in favour of Mandarin and English. The standard romanisation systems commonly used in these materials are based on Tâi-lô and Pe̍͘h-ōa-jī , with varying modifications to suit Penang Hokkien phonology. The Hokkien Language Association of Penang ( Persatuan Bahasa Hokkien Pulau Pinang ; 庇能福建話協會)

Amoy Street wine shop murder - Misplaced Pages Continue

3136-969: Is one such organisation which promotes the language's usage and revitalisation. Through their Speak Hokkien Campaign they promote a Tâi-lô based system modified to suit the phonology of Penang Hokkien and its loanwords. This system is used throughout this article and its features are detailed below. The Speak Hokkien Campaign also promotes the use of traditional Chinese characters derived from recommended character lists for written Hokkien published by Taiwan's Ministry of Education . Most native-speakers are not aware of these standardised systems and resort to ad hoc methods of romanisation based on English , Malay and Pinyin spelling rules. These methods are in common use for many proper names and food items, e.g. Char Kway Teow (炒粿條; tshá-kúe-tiâu ). These spellings are often inconsistent and highly variable with several alternate spellings being well established, e.g. Char Koay Teow . These methods, which are more intuitive to

3234-475: The Court of Appeal to review their cases, but the three judges - Chief Justice Wee Chong Jin , Tan Ah Tah and A V Winslow - upheld that the two men clearly had the common intention to cause Chew's death in the course of firearm robbery, and hence they dismissed the appeals on 5 August 1974. On 9 April 1975, both Neoh and Lim applied for special leave to appeal to the Privy Council of London in

3332-577: The Court of Appeal , offenders were allowed to file criminal or civil appeals to the Privy Council in London, where the judges could hear their appeals once they exhausted all avenues of appeal in Singapore. This avenue of appeal was fully abolished for all criminal and civil matters in April 1994. One case in which an appeal to the Privy Council was successful was the case of murderer Mohamed Yasin bin Hussin . Nineteen-year-old Yasin robbed, raped and murdered

3430-647: The Expanded Graded Intergenerational Disruption Scale , due to the encroachment of Mandarin. Penang Hokkien is a subdialect of Zhangzhou (漳州; Tsiang-tsiu ) Hokkien, with extensive use of Malay and English loanwords . Compared to dialects in Fujian (福建; Hok-kiàn ) province , it most closely resembles the variety spoken in the district of Haicang (海滄; Hái-tshng ) in Longhai (龍海; Liông-hái ) county and in

3528-540: The Internal Security Act states that it is an Act to "provide for the internal security of Singapore, preventive detention, the prevention of subversion, the suppression of organised violence against persons and property in specified areas of Singapore, and for matters incidental thereto". The President has the power to designate certain security areas. Any person caught in the possession or with someone in possession of firearms, ammunition or explosives in

3626-559: The Japanese victim, who was the wife of Wong's Japanese boyfriend. The couple were executed on 27 July 1973. Since the amendment of the Criminal Procedure Code in 1992, all capital cases have been heard by a single judge in the High Court instead of two judges. After conviction and sentencing, the offender has the option of making an appeal to the Court of Appeal . If the appeal fails, the final recourse rests with

3724-552: The Misuse of Drugs Act , any person importing or exporting more than the following quantities of drugs receives a mandatory death sentence: Death sentences are also mandatory for any person caught manufacturing: Under the Act: any person who is proved to have had in his possession or custody or under his control — shall, until the contrary is proved, be presumed to have had that drug in his possession. Furthermore, any person who has

3822-671: The Philippines , Indonesia , Taiwan , and beyond, emphasising the language’s diversity and cultural richness. The campaign contrasts with Singapore’s government-led Speak Mandarin Campaign , advocating instead for the preservation and use of Hokkien. The Facebook page is operated by members of the Persatuan Bahasa Hokkien Pulau Pinang (Hokkien Language Association of Penang), a non-governmental organisation officially established in 2014 to safeguard

3920-637: The President of Singapore , who has the power to grant clemency on the advice of the Cabinet . In exceptional cases since 2012, the Court of Appeal would be asked to review its previous decisions in concluded criminal appeals where it was necessary to correct a miscarriage of justice, most of which involved drug cases attracting the death penalty. The exact number of successful appeals is unknown. In November 1995, one Poh Kay Keong had his conviction overturned after

4018-656: The Wan Cheon Kem robbery-murder case. Capital punishment in Singapore Capital punishment in Singapore is a legal penalty. Executions in Singapore are carried out by long drop hanging , and usually take place at dawn. Thirty-three offences—including murder , drug trafficking , terrorism , use of firearms and kidnapping —warrant the death penalty under Singapore law. In 2012, Singapore amended its laws to exempt some offences from

Amoy Street wine shop murder - Misplaced Pages Continue

4116-524: The 17 inmates held on death row at Changi Prison pending their executions as of February 1974, for which the number decreased to 15 by October 1974 while they were appealing their sentences. Among these inmates (most of whom were convicted of murder) were the seven murderers of the Gold Bars triple murders , who were later executed for killing a businessman and two others for 120 gold bars. In July 1974, both Neoh Bean Chye and Lim Kim Huat appealed to

4214-578: The 2016 Azlin Arujunah case and the 2013 murder of Dexmon Chua Yizhi , etc. In addition to the Penal Code, there are four Acts of Parliament that prescribe death as punishment for offences. According to the Think Centre, a Singaporean civil rights group, 70% of hangings are for drug-related offences. All eight hangings in 2017 were for drug-related offences that year, and 11 of 13 hangings in 2018 were also for drug-related offences. Under

4312-482: The British colonial era. Based on the verdict of a jury, if a person was found guilty, the judge would convict and impose a penalty to the defendant in accordance to the charge he or she was found guilty of. One notable case in which a person was sentenced to death in a jury trial was the trial of Sunny Ang Soo Suan , who allegedly murdered his girlfriend Jenny Cheok Cheng Kid during a scuba diving trip in 1963. Despite

4410-482: The High Court and sentenced to death for a capital case was armed robber Teo Cheng Leong , who was found guilty and sentenced in February 1970 for unlawfully discharging a firearm twice when he fired two missed shots at a police officer. Another notable case was the kidnapping and murder of Ong Beang Leck , the son of a rich tycoon. Five men were involved in the abduction and they had murdered Ong after luring him into

4508-506: The Hokkien language, with a particular focus on preserving its use among Hokkien-speaking communities worldwide. Launched online on 12 Jul 2015, the campaign began as a grassroots initiative on Facebook by Hokkien speakers from Penang , Malaysia , and has since grown into an active platform for spreading awareness and fostering pride in the language. While its roots lie in Penang Hokkien, the campaign also shares information about other variants of Hokkien spoken in regions such as Singapore ,

4606-467: The Malay words, e.g. brake, park, pipe, pump, etc. However some are used in common everyday language, e.g.: Penang Hokkien also contains words which are thought to come from Thai , e.g.: In recent years, a number of movies that incorporate the use of Penang Hokkien have been filmed, as part of wider efforts to preserve the dialect's relevance. Among the more recent movies are The Journey , which became

4704-507: The Penal Code, the commission of the following offences may result in the death penalty: Since the Penal Code (Amendment) Act 2007, Singapore no longer allows for the death penalty for rape and mutiny. The Arms Offences Act regulates criminal offences dealing with firearms and weapons. Any person who uses or attempts to use arms (Section 4) can face execution, as well as any person who uses or attempts to use arms to commit scheduled offences (Section 4A). These scheduled offences are being

4802-595: The Philippines, the literary pronunciations of numbers higher than two are not used when giving telephone numbers, etc.; e.g. 二五四 jī-gōo-sì instead of jī-ngóo-sù . Penang Hokkien has differences in pronunciation and vocabulary when compared to other varieties of Hokkien. Although Penang Hokkien has many similarities to Zhangzhou Hokkien from which it is derived, it also has its own unique differences. General pronunciation differences can be shown as below: Due to Penang's linguistic and ethnic diversity, Penang Hokkien

4900-672: The Speak Mandarin Campaign in Chinese-medium schools in Malaysia , even though Mandarin was not previously spoken in these regions. Mandarin has been adopted as the only language of instruction in Chinese schools and, from the 1980s to mid-2010s, these schools penalised students and teachers for using non-Mandarin varieties of Chinese . A 2021 study found that Penang Hokkien was a 'threatened' language in

4998-539: The abolition of TPP was Myanmar national Zin Mar Nwe , a domestic worker who killed the mother-in-law of her employer in June 2018, and Zin was 17 years old at the time of the offence. She received a life sentence in July 2023 after the High Court found her guilty of murder, with the trial judge Andre Maniam accepting that Zin was a minor and below 18 years old when killing the 70-year-old victim and he thus opted to not impose

SECTION 50

#1732798621154

5096-450: The age of 18 at the time of their offence and pregnant women cannot be sentenced to death. Previously, offenders under 18 at the time of their offences would be indefinitely detained at the president's pleasure (TPP), with the normal period of detention having been between 10 and 20 years. These inmates would be released after receiving clemency from the President of Singapore , once they were assessed to be suitable for release. In 2010,

5194-551: The authorities in tackling drug trafficking activities, among other conditions, judges also had the discretion to impose life sentences instead of death. Drug traffickers who were not condemned to death but to life-long incarceration with caning would receive at least 15 strokes of the cane, unless suffering from mental incapacity. Despite this discretion, a sentence of life imprisonment is the mandatory minimum penalty for capital murder or drug trafficking offences. The first person to be sentenced to life imprisonment, instead of receiving

5292-496: The average native-speaker, are the basis of non-standard romanisation systems used in some written material. In Penang Hokkien, the two Departing tones (3rd & 7th) are virtually identical, and may not be distinguished except in their sandhi forms. Most native speakers of Penang Hokkien are therefore only aware of four tones in unchecked syllables (high, low, rising, high falling), and two Entering tones (high and low) in checked syllables. In most systems of romanisation, this

5390-423: The charge was later amended into one of illegal discharge of firearms under the Arms Offences Act. Tan was eventually convicted and executed by hanging under this Act on 9 January 2009. Since 1975, after the proposal by then Minister for Home Affairs Chua Sian Chin , the death penalty was mandated as the sole punishment for drug trafficking, should the amount of whichever drugs exceed the capital threshold. As

5488-401: The circumstantial evidence and the absence of the victim's body, the seven-men jury unanimously found Ang guilty of murder and sentenced him to death. Ang was eventually hanged on 6 February 1967 after he lost all his appeals to both the Court of Appeal and the Privy Council , and the failure of his clemency plea to President Yusof Ishak . The first person to be tried before two judges in

5586-512: The court found that his statement to a Central Narcotics Bureau officer had been made under duress. Another was the case of Nadasan Chandra Secharan , who was initially convicted of murder and sentenced to death by the High Court in June 1996, but later acquitted of murder by the Court of Appeal in January 1997 after they found the evidence against him was insufficient to show that he had murdered his lover Ramapiram Kannickaisparry. Another case

5684-644: The death of Chew Liew Tea, which they classified as murder. A month after the police conducted their investigations, they received the assistance of the Royal Malaysia Police , and the Malaysian police managed to arrest one suspect named Neoh Bean Chye (also spelt Neo Bean Chye) at Penang . Neoh, a Chinese Malaysian bum-boat operator who was born in Penang and lived there, was extradited to Singapore and charged with murder on 27 September 1972. Later,

5782-579: The death penalty in 2021. The most recent execution conducted in Singapore took place on 22 November 2024, when 55-year-old Singaporean Rosman Abdullah was hanged for drug trafficking. Section 316 of the Criminal Procedure Code states that the death penalty in Singapore is to be conducted by hanging. Hangings always take place at dawn and are conducted by the long drop method . The Singapore government has affirmed its choice of execution by hanging in favour of other methods . It

5880-581: The death penalty, under the amended death penalty laws was drug trafficker Abdul Haleem bin Abdul Karim on 10 April 2013, having been a courier in traffic drugs and had assisted the authorities in disrupting the drug trafficking activities. In addition to his life sentence, Abdul Haleem, who pleaded guilty to two charges of drug trafficking, was also given the maximum sentence of 24 strokes of the cane. Abdul Haleem's accomplice, Muhammad Ridzuan bin Md Ali, on

5978-491: The districts of Jiaomei (角美; Kak-bí ) and Xinglin (杏林; Hēng-lîm ) in neighbouring Xiamen (廈門; Ēe-muî ) prefecture . In Southeast Asia , similar dialects are spoken in the states bordering Penang ( Kedah , Perlis and northern Perak ), as well as in Medan and North Sumatra , Indonesia . It is markedly distinct from Southern Peninsular Malaysian Hokkien , Singaporean Hokkien and Taiwanese Hokkien . Penang Hokkien

SECTION 60

#1732798621154

6076-521: The double hanging of the gunmen. In the aftermath of the men's executions, the trial prosecutor Glenn Knight would become famous for his 1983 prosecution of Adrian Lim , Singapore's most infamous child killer, who was hanged in 1988 for murdering two children for ritual sacrifice, and became director of the Commercial Affairs Department , but his reputation would be tarnished with his conviction for bribery in 1991. Knight, who

6174-433: The first 4 characters are pronounced with their sandhied tone, while only the final character 湯 thng , is pronounced with its original tone. In both Tâi-lô and Pe̍͘h-ōa-jī based romanisation systems, compounds are indicated with the use of hyphens linking the individual syllables. Single hyphens (-) are most often used and linked syllables undergo tone sandhi as described above. Double hyphens (--) are used in instances where

6272-435: The gun to facilitate their crime and use violence if necessary, and made plans to wait for the opportunity to commit armed robbery. On 8 November 1973, the trial judges Choor Singh and D. C. D'Cotta ruled in their verdict that both 29-year-old Neoh Bean Chye and 25-year-old Lim Kim Huat were accordingly found guilty of the charge of murdering 42-year-old Chew Liew Tea, after they accepted the prosecution's arguments and rejected

6370-603: The highest-grossing Malaysian film in 2014, and You Mean the World to Me , the first movie to be filmed entirely in Penang Hokkien. Another significant contribution to the entertainment landscape is the Penang Hokkien Podcast. Founded in 2005 by John Ong, a Penangite residing in Kansas City , US - this podcast stands as the pioneering platform dedicated entirely to Penang-style Hokkien. The podcast offers

6468-864: The initial consonant of the syllable is (see the article on Entering tones for details). Hokkien has not been taught in schools in Penang since the establishment of the Republic of China in 1911, when Mandarin was made the Chinese national language. As such, few if any people have received any formal instruction in Hokkien, and it is not used for literary purposes. However, as in other variants of Min Nan, most words have both literary and colloquial pronunciations . Literary variants are generally eschewed in favour of colloquial pronunciations, e.g. 大學 tuā-o̍h instead of tāi-ha̍k , though literary pronunciations still appear in limited circumstances, e.g.: Unlike in China, Taiwan, and

6566-491: The intention to kill Chew in furtherance of committing armed robbery, Neoh and Lim were found guilty of murder, and sentenced to death on 8 November 1973. Two years later, the gunmen were hanged on 27 June 1975 after the dismissal of their appeals against the death penalty. During the early hours of 9 August 1972, which was also National Day of Singapore, at a wine shop located at Amoy Street , taxi driver Sim Ah Nam finished his drinks session with his friend Chew Liew Tea, who

6664-555: The law was amended to allow judges to mete out life imprisonment to offenders convicted of capital offences, but aged below 18 at the time of their crimes. They would be required to serve a minimum of 20 years before they can be reviewed for possible release. As for women who were pregnant at the time of their sentencing, they would automatically be sentenced to life imprisonment upon their conviction of any capital offences, though there have been no such cases as of yet. The first underaged offender to be sentenced to life imprisonment after

6762-486: The local market, and foreigners only transiting through Singapore while on the way to North America and Europe . The same source estimated that 70 percent of the traffickers arrested in Singapore belong to the first category, and smuggle in relatively small amounts of low quality Number 3 heroin (with less than 5 percent purity) from Malaysia , often via the Johor–Singapore Causeway . The other 30 percent in

6860-443: The mandatory death sentence. In a 2005 survey by The Straits Times , 95% of Singaporeans were of the view that their country should retain the death penalty. The support steadily fell throughout the years due to the increasing liberal opinions of society. Despite the decline, a large majority of the public remains supportive of the use of the death penalty, with more than 80% of Singaporeans believing that their country should retain

6958-446: The men's defences of accidental shooting or having no intention to kill. Neoh and Lim were both automatically sentenced to death upon their conviction for murder, as capital punishment was prescribed as the mandatory sentence for all four offences of murder under the Penal Code and judges in Singapore had no discretion (up until 2013) to impose any other punishments apart from death in these cases. Neoh and Lim were reported as among

7056-486: The number of drug abusers arrested each year has declined by two-thirds, from over 6,000 in the early 1990s to about 2,000 in 2011. The validity of these figures is disputed by other Singaporeans, such as drugs counsellor Tony Tan. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime notes that Singapore remains a transit destination for drug traffickers in Asia, drug seizures continue to increase, and heroin drug use within Singapore

7154-407: The offence of illegally possessing a firearm, which was punishable by imprisonment and caning . It was established by the prosecution that both men had tried to rob Chew but failed to, which led to them killing Chew. It was also established through witness accounts and fingerprint tests that the gun belonged to Neoh, and that Lim was the one who fired the gun and killed Chew, and both of them were at

7252-686: The other hand, was sentenced to death for drug trafficking and later hanged on 19 May 2017. After the changes to the law, the first executions to take place were those of drug traffickers Tang Hai Liang and Foong Chee Peng on 18 July 2014, after their sentences were finalized and their refusal to further appeal against their sentences. The amendments of the law also offered a chance for all current death row inmates to have their cases to be reviewed for re-sentencing. Some death row inmates declined to be re-sentenced, including Tang Hai Liang and Foong Chee Peng. The below cases are known cases where death row inmates applied for re-sentencing. On 14 January 2015,

7350-735: The photo will be given to their families as remembrance. Public debate in the Singaporean news media on the death penalty is almost non-existent, although the topic is occasionally discussed in the midst of highly publicised criminal cases. Efforts to garner public opinion on the issue are rare, although it has been suggested that the population is influenced by a legalist philosophy which holds that harsh punishment deters crime and helps maintain social peace and harmony. In October 2007, Senior Minister of State for Law and Home Affairs Ho Peng Kee said in Parliament that "Certain of us may hold

7448-554: The police recovered a gun and five bullets from a friend of Neoh's, which they identified as the probable murder weapon. On 22 February 1973, the Singaporean police were informed that the second suspect and Neoh's accomplice, Lim Kim Huat, a Chinese Malaysian who also came from Penang, was caught by the Royal Malaysia Police in Selangor and turned over to the Singaporean authorities four days later. Lim, who worked as

7546-459: The preceding syllable does not undergo tone sandhi. Tone marks always show the original tone, and do not change to indicate the sandhied tone in a compound. The general tone sandhi rules for Penang Hokkien are as follows: Checked syllables (-p, -t, -k, -h): Although the two departing tones (3rd & 7th) are virtually identical in Penang Hokkien, in their sandhi forms they become [˥˧] (53) and [˨˩] (21) and are thus easily distinguishable. There

7644-472: The presidential clemency has been granted six times to death row inmates, whose sentences were all commuted to life imprisonment (not counting the clemency pleas of the underaged offenders serving TPP). The last presidential clemency to be granted was in April 1998, when President Ong Teng Cheong pardoned a 19-year-old death row inmate and convicted murderer Mathavakannan Kalimuthu , commuting his death sentence to life imprisonment. Previously, other than

7742-413: The prosecution submitted that Lim intentionally fired the gun to kill Chew, and the death of Chew was caused in furtherance of the duo's common intention to commit robbery and by application of the provisions under Section 34 of the Penal Code , Neoh should be held equally liable to a charge of murder as Lim, since he and Lim shared a common intention to commit robbery and murder, and they had planned to use

7840-403: The realm of Penang Hokkien entertainment, the Penang Hokkien Podcast complements the efforts to preserve the language's relevance. It serves as an audio medium that celebrates the culture, and humour associated with Penang Hokkien, offering a valuable resource for those seeking an immersive experience. The Speak Hokkien Campaign is a social movement aimed at the revitalisation and promotion of

7938-487: The robbery, he held the victim Chew at gunpoint and told him in Penang Hokkien that he should not move or he would "splash" him. Under Lee's recount to the court, the term "splash" meant "shoot" in Hokkien. The defence counsel sought to cast doubt over Lee's evidence, claiming that Lee had bought the gun instead of safekeeping it for Neoh, and deliberately falsified his testimony in order to avoid being implicated for

8036-400: The scene of crime. Although it was certain and clear-cut from the prosecution's case and evidence that Lim, who directly killed Chew, would face the death penalty for murder, there was a crucial question at trial on whether Neoh should be held as equally culpable as Lim for killing Chew despite not being the one who fired the gun. Both men elected to give evidence under oath. Neoh admitted on

8134-488: The second category are usually Thais, Hongkongers, Nigerians or Europeans, who smuggle large quantities of high quality Number 4 heroin (with more than 80 percent purity) from Thailand via Singapore and onwards to North America or Europe, and have no intention of distributing the narcotics in Singapore itself. They do this in the belief that customs officers will be less strict when they arrive at their destination as they had transited via Singapore, he added. The preamble of

8232-531: The shop to tend to Chew, who was also helped by a 60-year-old man who was grinding chilli on a nearby street. Unfortunately, Chew did not survive his gunshot wound to the chest and died. He was 42 years old at the time of his death, and left behind a wife and six children. According to Professor Chao Tzee Cheng , a senior forensic pathologist who conducted an autopsy of the body, the bullet had penetrated Chew's right lung and heart, and led to Chew's death. The Singapore Police Force conducted their investigations into

8330-406: The stand that the gun belonged to him and he had indeed loaded the gun, but he testified that there was never an intention to commit murder despite their plan to commit robbery. Neoh stated that after he and Lim travelled from Penang to Singapore to commit armed robbery, they brought along the gun, which would be used to threaten Chew if necessary. He recounted that after Chew put up a struggle against

8428-411: The tone of a character changes if it is followed by another character as part of a multisyllabic compound. When a character is read in isolation as a monosyllabic word, or as the final character in a multisyllabic compound, it is pronounced with its "original tone" (本調; pún-tiāu ). Within a multisyllabic compound, every character, except for the one in the final position undergoes tone sandhi. For example,

8526-433: The trial was presided over by two judges Choor Singh and D. C. D'Cotta (Dennis Cosmo D'Cotta). Professor Chao Tzee Cheng and Chew's friend Sim Ah Nam came to court as witnesses to testify for the prosecution. A taxi driver, Lee Mong Koi (also spelt Lee Mong Qoi), who was a known friend to Neoh and Lim, also appeared as a key witness for the prosecution, and he testified that Lim and Neoh had mentioned killing Chew during

8624-438: The two male customers holding a revolver above Chew, who was shot in the chest and unconscious on the floor. Sim quickly escaped and shouted out the word "robbery" to alert people nearby and seek help, before he returned to the shop, where he saw the two men escaping the shop on a motorcycle. A teenage noodle seller, who witnessed the escape of the gunmen, alerted Chew's wife, who lived a few doors away. Chew's wife and son rushed to

8722-451: The two men at gunpoint, the revolver was discharged during the scuffle and Chew collapsed, and the firing of the revolver was not on purpose. Similarly, Lim testified on the stand that he never meant to shoot Chew during the fight between him and Chew, as the gun had somehow gone off without notice and wounded Chew on the chest, and the two men had to flee from the scene before they could be caught, leaving Chew to die at his shop. In response,

8820-452: The use of the high rising tone [˦˦˥] (445). When the 3rd tone is sandhied to the 2nd tone, the high falling variant [˥˧] (53) is used, however some speakers may sandhi the 3rd tone to the 1st tone [˦] (44). As in Amoy and Zhangzhou, there is no lower Rising (6th) tone. Penang Hokkien, like other Hokkien dialects albeit less extensive, features tone sandhi (變調; piàn-tiāu ), a process where

8918-572: The view that the death penalty should be abolished. But in a survey done two years ago, reported in the Straits Times , 95% of Singaporeans feel that the death penalty should stay. This is something which has helped us to be safe and secure all these years and it is only reserved for a very few select offences." Penang Hokkien Penang Hokkien ( Chinese : 庇能福建話 ; Pe̍h-ōe-jī : Pī-né͘ng Hok-kiàn-ōa ; Tâi-lô : Pī-néeng Hok-kiàn-uā ; IPA : /pi˨˩nɛŋ˦˥ hɔk̚˦kiɛn˥˧ua˨˩/ )

9016-410: The word 牛 gû in isolation is pronounced with an ascending tone, [˨˧] (23), but when it combines with a following syllable, as in 牛肉 gû-bah , it undergoes tone sandhi and is pronounced with a low tone, [˨˩] (21). Meanwhile 肉 bah in the final position is pronounced with its original tone [ʔ˧] (3). This process occurs regardless of the length of the compound, for example, in 牛肉粿條湯 gû-bah-kué-tiâu-thng ,

9114-460: Was John Martin Scripps , who ordered a pizza and a cup of hot chocolate before his execution. Visiting rights are increased from one 20-minute visit per week to a maximum of four hours each day, though no physical contact is allowed with any visitors. In addition, two days before an execution, an inmate is allowed to have a photo shoot and be given their own clothes to pose during a photoshoot;

9212-438: Was lifted under certain specific conditions. Judges were empowered with the discretion to sentence such offenders to life imprisonment with the possibility of parole after 20 years. These changes were approved by Parliament and set to take effect in January of the following year. In January 2013, the law was again amended to make the death penalty no longer mandatory for certain capital offences. Judges in Singapore were given

9310-479: Was one of the early legal cases that touched on the applicability and relevance of Section 34 of the Penal Code in convicting a person of murder in lieu of the common intention shared by more than one member of the group charged for such an offence, and it was cited by several judgements where more than one person was charged and tried for murder by common intention, like the Bock Tuan Thong murder case and

9408-408: Was subsequently disqualified from practicing law for sixteen years after his 1991 trial and imprisonment for corruption, later wrote his memoir, in which he recorded the case of Chew Liew Tea's shooting as one of his most memorable cases. The book was published in 2012, the fifth year after his re-instatement and return to practice (which the court approved). The case of Neoh Bean Chye and Lim Kim Huat

9506-589: Was that of Ismil bin Kadar, who was initially sentenced to death for a 2005 robbery-murder case in Boon Lay , but eventually acquitted of the crime as the Court of Appeal found that based on the evidence, Ismil was not involved in the case and that it was solely his younger brother Muhammad bin Kadar who was responsible for the robbery and murder; Muhammad was subsequently executed in April 2015. Successful clemency applications are thought to be even rarer. Since 1965,

9604-415: Was the owner of the shop and who wanted to close his shop to go home. After Chew offered to invite him later on, Sim left the shop to urinate at the back lane. At the time he left the shop, Chew was last seen with two other male customers, who were drinking beer and Guinness stout. Just as Sim was walking back to the shop after he finished, he heard a gunshot. Upon reaching the wine shop, Sim witnessed one of

#153846