SINGAPORE, March 15 -- Singapore on Friday hanged five Thai men convicted of murder, ignoring an appeal by authorities in Bangkok to postpone the executions. The men, who were working in Singapore either as illegal immigrants or had overstayed their visas, were convicted of killing two Indian nationals in 1993.
Thailand's House Committee on Labor and Social Welfare called on Singapore's Parliament to delay the executions and commute the death sentences to life in prison. The committee also urged Thai Prime Minister Banharn Silpa-archa to intervene and ask his counterpart in Singapore, Goh Chok Tong, to pardon the workers. Under Singapore law, only a presidential pardon can revoke a death sentence. In Bangkok, human rights activists reacted with anger over the executions. Several Thais staged a demonstration at the Singapore Embassy, laying a wreath on the embassy gates with a banner saying, 'Singapore go to hell.' 'We present this wreath to the arrogant Singaporean government which doesn't care about world opinion,' said demonstrator Damri Rinwong. 'We call on the Singaporeans to stop applying their laws so harshly.' About 50,000 Thais are working legally in Singapore, according to Thai Labor Ministry officials. Singapore is known for its strict laws, harsh punishment, and frequent use of the death penalty. Last year, Singapore executed a Filipino woman convicted of murder despite pleas from Manila to reconsider the sentence.
