ANOTHER Malaysian death row prisoner is scheduled to be executed in Singapore, on July 7, said his family today.

Kalwant Singh, 32, was arrested by Singaporean authorities on drug charges in 2013 and has been imprisoned since then.

His execution comes months after that of another Malaysian, Nagaenthran Dharmalingam, also for drug offences.

Kalwant’s sister Tarlochan Kaur, 40, who lives in Cameron Highlands, will be travelling to Singapore tomorrow.

“The prison only informed us today about the execution. My daughter will head there today while I’ll be heading there tomorrow,” she said.

In an earlier interview to The Malaysian Insight, Tarlochan said Kalwant has been the head of the family since their father’s death.

“I’m a single mother and my kids have always looked up to Kalwant. He has always been there for them but now he is no longer by our side,” she said.

Kalwant was convicted by the Singapore High Court of trafficking in 120.9g of diamorphine.

In April, Nagaenthran, 34, was executed despite pleas for clemency because he was intellectually challenged. His last-minute legal appeals were rejected.

He was arrested in April 2009 and sentenced to death in 2011 under the Misuse of Drugs Act, for illegally importing 42.7g of diamorphine.

Since 2010, 14 Malaysians, 11 of them Indian, have been on death row in Singapore.

According to reports, nine Malaysians, including Kalwant, are in line to be executed soon.

In an immediate reaction, Lawyers for Liberty director Zaid Malek said Kalwant’s execution must be stopped.

“Kalwant has always maintained that he never knew that the bundles he was carrying were drugs. He was still convicted mainly on the testimony of a co-accused person.

“Kalwant is unfortunately next on the long list of Malaysians whom Singapore has slated for the gallows; despite a barrage of criticisms it has received from the international community for its ruthless executions of low-level drug mules,” he said in a statement.

Zaid said the Singapore government must comply with international law and halt the hanging of Kalwant as well as to review the death penalty for drug crimes.

“At the same time, we also urge the Malaysian government to make urgent representations to Singapore to save our citizens from the gallows.”

Singapore human rights lawyer M. Ravi also urged his government to stop Kalwant’s hanging and to impose a moratorium on all pending executions. 

He said this was necessary as the court was looking into breach of confidentiality by the prison authorities in forwarding privileged and confidential correspondence to the attorney-general.

“What if the court rules that such breach of privileged communications has been systematic since the confidential communications of 13 inmates have already been compromised?

“This would then mean that the administration of justice concerning the death penalty has been brought into disrepute, thus rendering all executions unlawful,” Ravi said on Facebook today. – June 30, 2022.