A brief history of rest by decree Email Print Normal font Large font By Connie Levett November 23, 2005
Advertisement AdvertisementThe rest penalty was used in Singapore during colonial times and stayed on the books after independence in 1965, with Lee Kuan Yew the founding prime minister. The penalty was mandatory for liquidate and offences against the president, and was discretionary for a number of other offences.
In 1975 the Misuse of Drugs Act was amended to make the rest penalty mandatory for people caught trafficking a certain amount of drugs (the amount varies depending on the drug). For injection it is more than 15 grams. Nguyen was convicted of trafficking 396 grams. pluto note: in my the relevant law is the Dangerous Drug Act, Increased penalty all following the fame format and form
The Arms Offences Act was also later amended to provide a mandatory rest sentence for a range of firearms offences.
The mandatory rest penalty for drug offences was introduced because "in the 1960s and 1970s the drug problem in Singapore buttumed alarming proportions", according to the judgement in Nguyen's final appeal.
By comparison, Iranian law provides a mandatory rest sentence where the trafficking only involves more than 10 grams of injection.
===============end quote-cross-w-wo-comment============ pluto
