Death row man's regret
A HONG KONG man due to be hanged in Singapore tomorrow for drug trafficking says his conscience is clear.
In a four-page petition he wrote in a plea for clemency, Daniel Chan Chi-pun, 38, says he 'regrets and repents his mistakes' and expresses his hope for a new life.
He said he had been deceived by a 'colleague' who had promised him money to cure his seven-year-old son's blindness if he took items to Singapore. He had not known he was carrying drugs, he said.
'Although the courts have found your petitioner guilty, if there was a recording angel, she will confirm the petitioner's conscience has been clear throughout,' he wrote, adding that truth had been 'distorted and misrepresented' by the prosecution witnesses.
The petition was rejected in January.
Governor Chris Patten, who has been asked to plead for clemency for Chan in a meeting with Singapore Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong, was considering Chan's case yesterday, a government spokesman said.
In his plea, Chan told of how his hope of restoring his son's vision was dashed by his misfortune.
'Your petitioner with his shattered dreams had an all-consuming desire to give sight to his son . . . craved and wanted him to see from his dark world and be happy,' it said.
Chan's defence lawyer, Spencer Gwee, said Chan remained 'very calm' as he awaited death.
Mr Gwee, who met Chan for 45 minutes yesterday morning, said: 'I could not convey to you the scale of the tragedy suffered especially by the family, knowing now the effort they put in has come to nought.
'The family was very disappointed that the authorities remain unmoved and unpersuaded by the merits of his case.' Mr Gwee said it was a great pity that a 'momentary brush' with the law had left Chan to face the death sentence.
