Chan Choon Wai, a 20-year old Malaysian electrician,...

Chan Choon Wai, a 20-year old Malaysian electrician, failed to have his death sentence overturned by the Court of Appeal. The court upheld the High Court's verdict that the youth was guilty of murdering his girlfriend, Koh Mew Chin, 18, in their rented room in Pasir Ris, on March 2, 1999. In a last-ditch effort to save his life, defence lawyer Edmond Pereira argued that Chan was provoked into committing the killing because Koh had told Chan that she wanted to leave him for another man because he was more successful, words that were "scathing and hurtful". But Deputy Public Prosecutor Amarjit Singh said that Chan's retaliation was clearly out of proportion to the words allegedly spoken by Koh.