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 SYDNEY, Australia (AP) - A convicted drug smuggler awaiting death by hanging in Singapore has become the latest Australian to provoke sympathy and outrage from fellow citizens furious over harsh Asian drug penalties.
Labor unions have demanded sanctions against Singapore and some lawmakers have worn yellow ribbons in Parliament to protest the looming execution of Nguyen Tuong Van, a 25-year-old salesman from the southern city of Melbourne. Nguyen received a mandatory death sentence last year after he was convicted of trying to smuggle nearly 14 ounces of heroin through Singapore.
Australian Prime Minister John Howard has made five personal appeals for clemency to his Singaporean counterpart, Lee Hsien Loong, and warned the execution will cause lingering resentment in Australia. Lee has refused to spare Nguyen's life.
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