High Times > Malaysian Court Sentences 2 Thais to Hang for Marijuana TraffickingKUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia: A Malaysian court sentenced two Thai citizens to death by hanging for marijuana trafficking, a lawyer said Tuesday.
The Kuala Lumpur High Court convicted Masoh Daloh, 35, and Romuelee Yakoh, 46, on Monday of trafficking 75 pounds of the drug, said their lawyer, Naran Singh.
The men were arrested in 2002 after they were found in a car with 34 slabs of marijuana, the lawyer said. The judge ruled the defense failed to cast reasonable doubt on the prosecution's contention that the Thais intended to sell the drug.
Both men appealed their convictions and sentences but no date was immediately scheduled for a hearing.
Malaysia's use of the death penalty has come under renewed attention after human rights group Amnesty International last month accused Malaysian authorities of being secretive about executions.
The Southeast Asian country has a mandatory death penalty for various offenses including drug trafficking, murder or crimes using firearms.
Malaysia has hanged more than 200 people, mostly its own citizens, for drug trafficking since capital punishment was implemented for the offense in 1975.
The country's Bar Council has campaigned in recent years for the penalty to be scrapped, describing it as barbaric, inhumane and an insufficient deterrent.
The Malaysian government has denied covering up details of executions, and insisted that the death penalty remains necessary to curb crime.
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
High Times > Malaysian Court Sentences 2 Thais to Hang for Marijuana Trafficking
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