Compare the two Countries...
Just recently I came across two cases that were quite similiar but the outcome was incredibly different.
The first case is a case of Took Leng How (http://newpaper.asia1.com.sg/news/story/0,4136,93717,00.html) (http://www.littlespeck.com/content/lifestyle/CTrendsLifestyle-041128.htm)from Singapore. In this case a 22 year old man was found guilty in a court of law of taking a young girl, suffocating her, hiding her body in plastic bags and a box and then dumping the body. He returns later to confess to the crime of murder (under his parents urging) and show the police where the body as dumped. He was found guilty of 1st degree murder and his sentence given. Upon appeal of the sentence, it was later decided by 2 of the 3 judges that the sentence is justified and that the accused shall do the sentence. HOWEVER, one of the judges voted that there was reasonable doubt as to whether or not Took commited murder because his actions could have only led to bodily harm but it was the victims body and reaction that caused her to die.
Almost at the same time there is a case in Canada that is almost exactly the same (http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20060512/min_chen_parole_060512/20060512?hub=Canada). This case invovles Min Chen (23), a chinese citizen studying in Canada that confesses to the murder of a 9 year old girl, whom was suffocated with a towel while fleeing her household. Apparently he was charged with first degree murder but plead to 2nd degree murder and was sentenced on his plea. Supposedly he was in the process of kidnapping her to ask for a ransom to get $25,000 so that he could use the money to buy an 'arranged marriage' to stay in Canada. Guess returning to China in shame after failing out of school was so bad that kidnapping actually seemed like a good idea. This article stated gives his sentence that was put down today.
NOW, the similiarities are interesting in that both of the guilty parties are 22 or 23, the guilty parties are both of chinese discent, both commited the crime and hid the bodies, both said that the deaths were unintentional and accidental (one judge for Took even said that there was reasonable doubt in the death of the victim), the victims are young females in the range of 8 to 9 years of age, both victims were strangled, both knew their attackers.
NOW for the differences...whereas Chen pleaded down to 2nd degree murder in Canada, he got an automatic life sentence in jail with an eligibility of parole after 15 years. Took, on the other hand, in Singapore has gotten death by hanging. The appeal that his family and himself undertook was to have the sentence reduced from 1st degree murder and the automatic sentence of death to a sentence of life imprisonment. Interesting how one gets an automatic life sentence while the other has to fight for a life sentence in a different country, even though the offences are pretty much identical.
Is the punishment justified? Is Took's sentence too harsh, or is Chen's sentence too relaxed? I really dont know the answer to that one, nor do I really bother to go into depth. All I know is that I find it interesting that two cases like this happened at opposite ends of the world, hit the media eye and were close to identical in such a short span of time...I mean, it wasnt like the cases were 2 years apart, but only separate by a few months.
Though one thing I found interesting was the comment that the lawyer made suggesting that after Chen's release from prison in Canada, he would be deported back to China where the Chinese gov't would then take matter into their own hands and decide if Chen was able to return to society. Not only do I find it strange that a country would punish an individual after they have already been punished in another country, but I wonder what would happen if it was discovered that Chen's possible fate in China would be execution for the murder of the girl? would Canada still deport him back to China, knowing that they are sending him to his death, or would they allow him to stay in Canada? That is something that will be interesting to see in the, well not so near, future. At least 15 years, that is.
PS IF anyone knows how I can get all that personal information stuff about me on the right hand of my screen to stay up at the top of the screen and not down below my oldest post, please leave me a comment and tell me...it is driving me crazy and I am so computer unfriendly I have no clue as to how to fix it...THANKS!
The first case is a case of Took Leng How (http://newpaper.asia1.com.sg/news/story/0,4136,93717,00.html) (http://www.littlespeck.com/content/lifestyle/CTrendsLifestyle-041128.htm)from Singapore. In this case a 22 year old man was found guilty in a court of law of taking a young girl, suffocating her, hiding her body in plastic bags and a box and then dumping the body. He returns later to confess to the crime of murder (under his parents urging) and show the police where the body as dumped. He was found guilty of 1st degree murder and his sentence given. Upon appeal of the sentence, it was later decided by 2 of the 3 judges that the sentence is justified and that the accused shall do the sentence. HOWEVER, one of the judges voted that there was reasonable doubt as to whether or not Took commited murder because his actions could have only led to bodily harm but it was the victims body and reaction that caused her to die.
Almost at the same time there is a case in Canada that is almost exactly the same (http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20060512/min_chen_parole_060512/20060512?hub=Canada). This case invovles Min Chen (23), a chinese citizen studying in Canada that confesses to the murder of a 9 year old girl, whom was suffocated with a towel while fleeing her household. Apparently he was charged with first degree murder but plead to 2nd degree murder and was sentenced on his plea. Supposedly he was in the process of kidnapping her to ask for a ransom to get $25,000 so that he could use the money to buy an 'arranged marriage' to stay in Canada. Guess returning to China in shame after failing out of school was so bad that kidnapping actually seemed like a good idea. This article stated gives his sentence that was put down today.
NOW, the similiarities are interesting in that both of the guilty parties are 22 or 23, the guilty parties are both of chinese discent, both commited the crime and hid the bodies, both said that the deaths were unintentional and accidental (one judge for Took even said that there was reasonable doubt in the death of the victim), the victims are young females in the range of 8 to 9 years of age, both victims were strangled, both knew their attackers.
NOW for the differences...whereas Chen pleaded down to 2nd degree murder in Canada, he got an automatic life sentence in jail with an eligibility of parole after 15 years. Took, on the other hand, in Singapore has gotten death by hanging. The appeal that his family and himself undertook was to have the sentence reduced from 1st degree murder and the automatic sentence of death to a sentence of life imprisonment. Interesting how one gets an automatic life sentence while the other has to fight for a life sentence in a different country, even though the offences are pretty much identical.
Is the punishment justified? Is Took's sentence too harsh, or is Chen's sentence too relaxed? I really dont know the answer to that one, nor do I really bother to go into depth. All I know is that I find it interesting that two cases like this happened at opposite ends of the world, hit the media eye and were close to identical in such a short span of time...I mean, it wasnt like the cases were 2 years apart, but only separate by a few months.
Though one thing I found interesting was the comment that the lawyer made suggesting that after Chen's release from prison in Canada, he would be deported back to China where the Chinese gov't would then take matter into their own hands and decide if Chen was able to return to society. Not only do I find it strange that a country would punish an individual after they have already been punished in another country, but I wonder what would happen if it was discovered that Chen's possible fate in China would be execution for the murder of the girl? would Canada still deport him back to China, knowing that they are sending him to his death, or would they allow him to stay in Canada? That is something that will be interesting to see in the, well not so near, future. At least 15 years, that is.
PS IF anyone knows how I can get all that personal information stuff about me on the right hand of my screen to stay up at the top of the screen and not down below my oldest post, please leave me a comment and tell me...it is driving me crazy and I am so computer unfriendly I have no clue as to how to fix it...THANKS!
posted by Capt_Canuck at 9:21 PM
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