SINGAPORE. AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL NGUYEN 'READY TO DIE'

Nguyen Tuong Van, an Australian heroin trafficker on death row in Singapore still had his sense of humor just days before his scheduled execution on December 2, his lawyer said. Lex Lasry described his 80-minute visit with 25-year-old Nguyen as "enjoyable, optimistic, at times humorous." "He's ready to die," Lasry said. "He wants to die a good death and he believes he's lived a good life."
Vietnam-born Nguyen received a mandatory death sentence after being caught with nearly 400 grams (14 ounces) of heroin at Singapore's Changi Airport in 2002 en route from Cambodia to Australia. Lasry said Nguyen had accepted the likelihood of his execution despite Australia's appeals, and that his mother was coming to terms with the prospect of her son's death. The lawyer also said he would continue to urge Singapore to renounce its mandatory death penalty in some drug cases, even if Nguyen's execution was carried out.
"The criticism will continue," Lasry said. "This country can't go on executing people without giving them the opportunity to say why they shouldn't be executed."