As informações anteriormente nesta página sobre canalizações militares em Cingapura foram removidas para a seção de arquivos do país. O castigo corporal judicial por caning é amplamente utilizado para infratores masculinos em Singapura, Malásia e Brunei, três membros adjacentes e estreitamente ligados da Commonwealth britânica no Sudeste Asiático. Este artigo trata sobre CP judicial (PCC) e PC para infracções às regras da prisão. Não inclui caning no militar ou em reformatórios de meninos, ou a caning (muito menos severa) de meninos na escola, que é coberta em outros lugares neste site. Milhares de ações judiciais são encomendados a cada ano. Os homens são canados por crimes graves e também por ofensas não-violentas, como entrada ilegal e vandalismo. Em alguns casos, é uma pena obrigatória. Estes canings são muito graves e são criticados por organizações como a Amnistia Internacional. A caning em todos os três países é administrada através do assento nu. Ao contrário do mito popular, isso sempre é feito em particular dentro da prisão. Nunca houve JCP público desses países. O prisioneiro é desnudado e encadernado por fortes tiras de couro para um cavalete ou moldura A. Em Singapura e Brunei, ele é pressionado em uma posição inclinada com suas nádegas salientes. Na Malásia, ele fica de pé no quadro A onde ele está amarrado. Ele é então punido por uma pátria bem construída com um comprimento de quatro metros de comprimento de rolo flexível que foi molhado em água. À esquerda: demonstração oficial de caning de um manequim em Singapura Direito: demonstração oficial de caning de um manequim na Malásia à esquerda: demonstração oficial de caning de um manequim em Brunei A HISTÓRIA DE CANING EM SINGAPORE, MALAYSIA E BRUNEI A legislação penal no que costumava Seja a Malásia britânica - a parte peninsular da atual Malásia, mais Singapura - tem suas raízes históricas nas leis criminais da Inglaterra e da Índia. Quando o Straits Settlements, composto pelas três cidades portuguesas predominantemente chinesas de Cingapura, Melaka (Malacca) e Penang (George Town), foi formado como uma colônia britânica em 1826, aplicou o direito penal da Inglaterra. Ordenamento do Estreito A Portaria do Código Penal IV substituiu o direito comum em 1871. Baseava-se no Código Penal Indiano, promulgado em 1860. As ofensas puníveis com o chicote no Código eram roubo, roubo agravado, invasão de casa ou quebra de casa, assalto com a intenção de indignar Modéstia e uma segunda infração ou posterior de estupro ou de viver ou negociar em prostituição. Esta lista de ofensas de chicoteamento era aproximadamente semelhante à da Inglaterra e do País de Gales no momento. O restante do que é agora a Malásia consistiu em sultanatos muçulmanos separados, nominalmente independentes, mas cada vez mais sob o controle britânico de fato. No início do século XX, estes se uniram em três agrupamentos: os Estados federados da Malásia (FMS), um protetorado britânico de pleno direito com uma nova capital federal em Kuala Lumpur, composto pelos sultanatos de Selangor, Perak, Pahang e Negri Sembilan, os estados malditos não-federados, um grupo mais difuso (e não geograficamente contíguo) de cinco estados, quatro dos quais foram cedidos em 1909 por Sião (agora Tailândia), com um relacionamento um pouco mais frouxo com a Grã-Bretanha e dois estados na ilha de Bornéu, British North Bornéu (agora Sabah) e Sarawak, hoje em dia descritos como Malásia Oriental. Um terceiro sultanato malaio em Bornéu, o pequeno estado rico em petróleo de Brunei, tem, como Cingapura, escolhido para se tornar independente em vez de fazer parte da nova Malásia pós-1963. Dadas todas essas complexidades legais e constitucionais em mudança, não está claro exatamente como, quando e em que medida a prática em assuntos judiciais, como o CP, se unificou em todo o território. No entanto, pelo menos desde a Primeira Guerra Mundial em diante, toda a península era em termos políticos considerada como Malásia britânica e, para fins práticos, era administrada como uma entidade, supervisionada por um governador com sede em Cingapura que informou ao Colonial Office em Londres. O que é claro, de qualquer maneira, é que o regime JCP, tal como desenvolvido, foi uma conseqüência do costume e prática judicial britânica. Não tem nada a ver com a justiça islâmica. O fato de que grande parte do território (exceto para os estabelecimentos do estreito) tinha uma maioria da população muçulmana era coincidência. Durante este período, o instrumento usado para CP era uma cauda de gato ou nove ou um rotino, e os triângulos eram do padrão usual, e a flogging estava na nádega. O escritor de viagens Bruce Lockhart, que visitou Singapura no início da década de 1930, foi mostrado ao redor da prisão: Atravessando de um quarteirão de edifícios para outro, passamos por uma estreita e oblonga faixa de grama cercada por altas paredes sem janelas. . Havia uma atmosfera de isolamento clausurado sobre o lugar. . E, no entanto, havia algo estranho e sinistro sobre essas altas paredes cinzas que excluíam tudo, exceto o estiramento do céu sobre a cabeça. A trama não é um capricho de arquitetos. Tem seus usos. Às vezes, suas paredes ressoam com o som aborrecido e pesado do chicote e com os gritos dos prisioneiros. . Desde a década de 1890, este enredo foi usado para flagelação e tapeçarias. (R. H. Bruce Lockhart, Return to Malaya. Putnam, Londres, 1936.) A maioria dos latidos na prisão são ordenados pelos tribunais por ofensas contra a lei, mas a punição também pode ser infligida por infrações à disciplina de prisão. Em 1938, os canings para violações das regras da prisão no Straits Settlements foram: 24 golpes - 2 frases 20 traços - 1 frase 12 traços - 9 frases 8 traços - 2 frases 6 traços - 8 frases 4 traços - 1 frase Nos últimos três anos Da Segunda Guerra Mundial, todo o território estava sob ocupação militar pelo Japão. Não se sabe até que ponto, se for caso disso, a maquinaria da justiça comum funcionou durante esse período. Após a guerra, a Grã-Bretanha retomou o controle de forma provisória com o objetivo de conferir independência. A antiga colônia de Straits Settlements não foi revivida. Em vez disso, Cingapura foi feita uma colônia separada, enquanto uma nova Federação da Malásia baseada em KL compreendia o resto da península - o antigo FMS e o antigo UMS plus Malacca e Penang. Neste ponto, o Código Penal de Singapura manteve suas provisões para chicotar, mas não foram particularmente utilizados. Em 1949, 46 ofensores (todos os homens adultos) foram canados por ordem do tribunal e 26 por crimes de prisão. O Relatório da Comissão de Inquérito Prisioneiro de Singapura, de 1948, registra as regras nesse momento por crimes de prisão: Por ofensas agravadas contra a disciplina da prisão - - ordenadas pelo Superintendente: não excedem 12 traços com um rottan - ordenados pelos juízes visitantes: não excedem 24 traços com um Rottan - para menores de 15 anos, por Visiting Justices: não superior a 6 traços com um rottan leve. A punição com o rottan será infligida nas nádegas do agressor. No caso dos adultos, o rottan não deve ter mais de meia polegada de diâmetro, enquanto que, no caso dos juvenis, deve ser usado um rottan leve. Em 1953, houve 12 casos de caning por motivos disciplinares internos de prisão e em 1954 apenas dois (informações de relatórios anuais de serviços penitenciários). A menção também é feita da possibilidade de o gato ser usado, mas na prática parece ter caído fora de uso por este período. Em 1955, a Portaria de Justiça Criminal (Retificação de Punição) retirou as caudas de gato-o-nove do livro de estatutos de Cingapura e, em seguida, o castigo corporal só poderia ser infligido com um rotan (ou rottan ou rattan - estas são simplesmente diferentes grafias do Malaio Palavra para cana). Ao mesmo tempo, o poder de atribuir a JCP foi restrito ao Tribunal Superior - um movimento que foi posteriormente revertido, pois os tribunais locais e subordinados de hoje em dia têm poderes caning. Em 1954, havia apenas 7 latas ordenadas pelos tribunais. Em 1994, uma carta de um ex-superintendente da prisão de Changi durante o período colonial britânico confirmou que os canings eram infligidos nas nádegas nuas. Ele descreve 6 ou 12 golpes como o castigo habitual, e diz que nunca viu hemorragia profusa, apenas hemorragias graves. Isso pode sugerir que o modo de inflação tornou-se mais grave ao longo do tempo. O castigo corporal como pena judicial foi abolido na Inglaterra, no País de Gales e na Escócia em 1948. e na Índia em 1955. Em todas as partes da Malásia, no entanto, como em Hong Kong, o caning foi mantido. Em Singapura, independente do domínio britânico em 1965, o alcance do JCP foi aumentado por legislação em muitas ocasiões a partir de 1966, prevendo seu uso em uma maior variedade de infrações, muitas vezes exigindo sua imposição obrigatória e, ocasionalmente, aumentando o número mínimo de Golpes. Desde 1993, tornou-se obrigatório para 42 crimes, e opcional para mais 42 (ver quadro abaixo) e em parte como resultado (combinado com rápidos aumentos de população), seu uso aumentou de algumas dúzias para milhares de frases por ano. A extensão mais recente dos poderes caning foi em fevereiro de 2008, quando cinco novas infrações foram adicionadas à lista. O mais cedo destas extensões pós-independência do escopo da JCP foram justificadas publicamente, em parte, como a resposta oficial a uma onda alarmante de crime: assaltos à mão armada triplicaram entre 1966 e 1971. Muito disso estava relacionado a gangues. Era um ressurgimento moderno de uma dificuldade antiga: como o resto da diáspora chinesa, Cingapura enfrentara historicamente um grave problema de gangsterismo. O regime atual reivindica, citando figuras da ONU, que Cingapura agora tem uma das taxas mais baixas de crimes violentos no mundo, mesmo em comparação com lugares famosos e tranquilos como a Dinamarca e a Suíça - em parte sem dúvida porque as autoridades conseguiram fazer a ilha Quase totalmente livre de armas (sem morte de assas bala em Spore, Straits Times, 9 de maio de 2000). As autoridades coloniais britânicas também usaram castigos corporais para lidar com a violência de gangues organizadas nas décadas de 1920 e 1930. O Governador do Straits Settlements escreveu para o Colonial Office, em Londres, em outubro de 1929, que o influxo anual de chineses não educados em Cingapura criou uma situação que só pode ser atendida por medidas que, a primeira vista, parecem ser um pouco contrárias aos aceitos Idéias de punição no momento. Ele fechou um retorno mostrando que, exceto os canings para a disciplina da prisão, 78 delinquentes foram chicoteados em 1928, principalmente por assalto à mão armada ou - uma ofensa somada à lista somente em 1926 - a posse de armas. Londres parece ter encontrado as figuras bastante excessivas: o Secretário de Estado disse que o recurso freqüente à flagelação como punição na Colônia parece exigir alguma justificativa especial, então o Governador também envolveu uma carta do Presidente da Justiça, chamando a atenção para A prevalência excepcional de assaltos de gangues muito brutais, cometidos principalmente por jovens chineses sem lei da classe de coolie que imigram. Em um fluxo contínuo a cada ano. Uma fonte continuamente renovada de crime potencial. A carta dos juízes-chefe concluiu: Estou convencido de que o poder de chicote é essencial para o judiciário para lidar com os tipos específicos de crime que prevalecem em Singapura. Este parecer foi repetido pelo Ministério Público-adjunto, em Singapura, que observou que a prisão por si só não era dissuasiva para este tipo de criminosos: homens que vivem de mão em boca e em ambientes desconfortáveis. Encontrar a vida da prisão em comparação não desagradável. Apenas a flagelação teria algum efeito real e duradouro. (Escritório de registro público, CO 27355413.) É claro a partir desses e outros registros históricos que, com exceção dos bastões de rattan leve de juvenis por ofensas muito menos graves, o uso de CP judicial foi considerado pelas autoridades coloniais britânicas como apropriado apenas para Crimes envolvendo violência pessoal ou a sua ameaça. É dessa posição de política de longa data que a Singapura moderna, Malásia e Brunei tão radicalmente se afastaram. Estes são abrangentes, particularmente em Cingapura. Há dezenas de ofensas para as quais um homem pode receber a cana - de crimes violentos graves a algumas ofensas não-violentas que podem parecer relativamente menores no Ocidente, mas são consideradas graves em Cingapura, um estado altamente autoritário onde a importação e A venda de goma de mascar é uma ofensa (embora não seja uma canavial) e onde as pessoas podem ser multadas por montantes significativos para deixar cair lixo, fumar em lugares públicos ou deixar de lavar um banheiro público após o uso. A Malásia é marcadamente menos autoritária nesse nível trivial, mas suas atitudes em relação ao crime mais grave e ao uso do castigo corporal são muito semelhantes. Em particular, as ofensas de drogas e as ofensas sexuais freqüentemente atraem frases de caning muito pesadas em todos os três países. A estes severos treinamentos para infrações graves foram adicionados, nos últimos anos, tanto na Malásia como em Cingapura, um número muito maior de pessoas com imigração ilegal e menos severas. O número de infracções para as quais pode ou deve ser infligido continua a aumentar nos três países, e os políticos, de vez em quando, sugestões flutuantes na imprensa local sobre ainda outros crimes para adicionar à lista. Na Malásia nos últimos anos, por exemplo, tem havido pedidos para que possa ser introduzido: A idéia de que os criminosos possam ser reformados foi explicitamente abandonada por alguns membros seniores do judiciário de Singapores: o ex-juiz principal Yong Pung. Como se disse em 1996. A reabilitação é Algo que eu nunca entendi. A compaixão saiu pela janela há muito tempo. Agora eu apenas entrego a justiça. Mas em 2006, um novo juiz-chefe foi nomeado em Singapura, Chan Sek Keong, que foi citado pela Associated Press como querendo dar aos juízes mais espaço para dar punições alternativas, tendo em mente a reabilitação. Isso encorajou o presidente da Associação de advogados criminais a descrever as práticas atuais como desatualizadas, e ele continuou: tudo é prisão ou prisão mais caning. Deve haver opções alternativas de sentença, como serviço comunitário, ou liberdade condicional, ou estágio com muitas cordas anexadas a ela. Cingapura reivindica um sucesso particular em sua guerra contra as drogas. Além de implementar a pena de morte para os traficantes de drogas (como a Malásia também o faz), em 1998, Singapura introduziu um esquema especial para os toxicodependentes não-traficantes chamado regime de prisão de longa duração (LT). Isso abrangeu originalmente os usuários de opiáceos, como a morfina e a heroína, mas desde então estendeu-se para incluir drogas sintéticas como Ketamina, Ecstasy e Subutex. Sob o esquema, 4.500 adictos foram presos por até sete anos e deram seis golpes da cana entre 1998 e 2006. Menos de 2 deles foram pegos tomando drogas novamente, e esses poucos foram presos por mais 13 anos, Com até 12 outros traços da cana. (Tudo para nab the junkies, Today. Cingapura, 7 de setembro de 2006). Caning em Singapura é obrigatório para mais de 40 ofensas diferentes. Estes incluem violação, roubo, posse de armas ofensivas, vandalismo e venda ou importação de fogos de artifício e também para casos de tráfico de drogas em que, por uma razão ou outra, a pena de morte não seja aplicada. (Os criminosos condenados à morte também não são canados.) A posse de armas ofensivas também pode atrair uma sentença latente na Malásia. O vandalismo não está presente, embora tenha havido sugestões que deveria. Em alguns casos, é necessário um número mínimo obrigatório de AVC - até 15 para certas ofensas. Os homens que entram ilegalmente em Singapura ou que ultrapassam seus vistos em mais de 90 dias recebem automaticamente um mínimo de 3 golpes da cana. Esta disposição destina-se essencialmente ao controle de trabalhadores estrangeiros. Malásia e Brunei copiaram Singapura a este respeito, e agora têm disposições semelhantes, exceto que na Malásia a sentença mínima é de apenas um acidente vascular cerebral. A maioria desses infratores de imigração vem dos três países vizinho muito mais pobre e muito mais populoso, na Indonésia. Mas os visitantes ocidentais também às vezes estão sujeitos a essas leis. Em 1994, um francês de 45 anos recebeu 5 golpes - além de uma pena de prisão de 8 meses - por ultrapassar seu visto em Cingapura (Los Angeles Times, 27 de outubro de 1994). Caning é opcional para muitas outras infrações. Em Cingapura, estes incluem tumultos, extorsão, vivendo os ganhos da prostituição, homicídio e causando feridos. Também foi introduzido para uma terceira infração por certas infracções rodoviárias, embora existam poucos relatórios sobre o que esta é aplicada na prática. As ofensas adicionadas mais recentemente (fevereiro de 2008) à lista incluem juntar-se a uma assembléia ilegal, enquanto armada com uma arma mortal, homicídio culposo e ferir com veneno. Há muitos casos em que os tribunais condenam, mas não dão uma sentença caning, mesmo quando eles estão capacitados para fazê-lo. Os artigos mal pesquisados às vezes aparecem na mídia ocidental, sugerindo que quase todos os casos de tribunais de Singapura acabam com uma pena. É evidente a partir de dados disponíveis, como esta tabela de casos selecionados, que isso está longe da verdade. Extensão por ativismo judicial Onde a punição era discricionária, a prática tradicional era que ela deveria ser imposta somente se a ofensa em questão implicasse um grau substancial de violência física - por ex. No entanto, em 1965, em Anwar v PP 1965 31 MLJ 63, o demandante foi considerado culpado de possuir um espanador de ninhada durante um período de Distúrbios raciais, embora não houvesse evidências de que ele estivesse envolvido nos tumultos. O então juiz-chefe, no entanto, condenou-o a três meses de prisão e 6 golpes de cana. Sugeriu-se que o principal fator nesse caso era a importância da dissuasão em um momento em que a sociedade estava afligida com um grave surto de violência. Desde a década de 1990, além disso, os tribunais superiores foram mais inclinados a impor sentenças de caning onde não é obrigatório. Exemplos são em casos de estupro (Chia Kim Heng Frederick v PP 1992 1 SLR 361) bullying na estrada onde os resultados feridos dolorosos (PP v Lee Seck Hing 1992 2 SLR 745) contratação de pessoas para assaltar outras mulheres molestando. Um caso molestoso atraiu controvérsia. Goh Cheng Yew, de 18 anos, foi condenado por molestar uma mulher em um elevador. O juiz principal não só rejeitou seu recurso contra uma pena de prisão de seis meses, mas também aumentou de sua própria opinião, adicionando três golpes de cana. Embora o caning nunca tenha sido imposto em tais casos antes, ele sentiu que deveria ser dado em vista da crescente incidência de casos mais graves. A decisão atraiu muita publicidade (Todos os Molesters devem ser Caned, diz CJ, Straits Times, 20 de agosto de 1993). Como resultado, em casos de indignação com a modéstia de uma mulher (agressão indecente), os tribunais devem ordenar um mínimo de 9 meses de prisão e três golpes da cana se a ofensa envolver o contato com as partes privadas da mulher. Esta referência permanece em vigor (pontos de referência de condenação que ele estabeleceu, Straits Times, 1 de abril de 2006). Responsabilidade dos funcionários em relação aos crimes cometidos por uma empresa Em alguns casos, a legislação de Cingapura exige que os funcionários do sexo masculino sejam caned por ofensas cometidas por uma empresa. O Dangerous Fireworks Act exige que um gerente, diretor ou proprietário de uma empresa que, deliberada ou negligentemente, importe, venda ou venda fogos de artifício perigosos deve ser caned. Do mesmo modo, o gerente ou diretor de uma empresa que se envolve no negócio de transmissão de imigrantes ilegais deve ser (em Cingapura) ou pode ser (na Malásia) sentenciado a caning se ele autorizou, aceitou ou conviou em tal atividade. Como uma punição por violações da disciplina da prisão. Como já foi o caso na própria Grã-Bretanha, vários antigos territórios britânicos que ainda retem o castigo corporal permitem a sua violação de violações graves por parte dos prisioneiros, além da sua utilização como pena judicial por ofensas contra a lei. De acordo com a Lei das prisões de Singapores, um superintendente da prisão pode impor uma caning de até doze golpes por ofensas de prisões agravadas (ver tabela). Esta punição pode ser imposta após uma audiência de mini-tribunal dentro da prisão, na qual o preso tem a oportunidade de ouvir as provas contra ele e apresentar sua defesa. Tal como acontece com a imposição judicial, apenas os homens com menos de 50 anos são responsáveis pela prisão interna. Um registro deve ser mantido em um registro para inspeção pelos juízes visitantes. Se o Superintendente pensa que seus poderes são inadequados em um caso particular, ele pode denunciar o assunto por escrito aos Ministros Visitantes, que podem conceder até 24 golpes. Além de motim ou violência contra um oficial ou outro prisioneiro, as ofensas de prisão agravadas incluem destruição intencional de bens, causando intencionalmente a si mesmo qualquer doença, lesão ou deficiência, fazendo uma queixa falsa ou infundada contra qualquer oficial ou prisioneiro uma terceira repetição de uma ofensa menor. (Há 48 atos que são definidos como tal), bem como uma cláusula geral que abrange qualquer outro ato de má conduta ou insubordinação grave. Os prisioneiros não podem contratar advogados para recorrer de uma sentença interna de punição. No entanto, cada uma dessas ordens está sujeita à aprovação do Diretor de prisões antes de ser realizada. Não há estatísticas sobre a frequência com que ocorre a prática da prisão. 75 infracções agravadas foram cometidas em prisões de Cingapura em 1984 e 66 em 1985. Presumivelmente, para algumas dessas ofensas, pelo menos, a imposição foi imposta, uma vez que o Comitê de Reorganização das prisões de 1974 recomendou a imposição de indenizações que envolvessem o uso da violência. O Departamento de prisões declina comentar o número de disciplinas internas de prisão, mas alega que tal punição é rara e apenas impostas a um número muito pequeno de presos que cometem ofensas graves ou agravadas. Em um caso de 1997. Cinco prisioneiros que pegaram contrabando de cannabis na prisão de Changi foram caned e foram prorrogados os termos de prisão. Normalmente, porém, tais casos não são relatados na imprensa e permanecem desconhecidos para o público em geral. Em 1989, os poderes de canalização foram estendidos aos Centros de Reabilitação de Drogas. O Artigo 58 (1) (o) da Lei de Uso indevido da Droga permite que o Ministro estabeleça regulamentos que prevêem controle, disciplina (incluindo a imposição de castigos corporais) e ocupação de presos de Centros de Reabilitação de Drogas. O parágrafo 8 dos regulamentos feitos ao abrigo desse Ato permite que o Superintendente de um Centro conceda castigos corporais não superiores a 6 golpes por infrações graves. Estas ofensas são semelhantes às ofensas de prisão agravadas nos termos da Lei das prisões, mas incluem, além disso, levar qualquer droga, dinheiro, substância intoxicante ou cigarro a um Centro sem permissão ou ocultar qualquer dessas substâncias no Centro e possuir ou consumir qualquer droga Enquanto estiver de licença do Centro. Um ex-funcionário da Unidade de Reabilitação de Drogas da prisão de Changi disse que seis golpes foram administrados por drogas na urina ou por homossexualidade, e três pela luta (Eye of a Tiger, The Guardian, Londres, 20 de maio de 1995). Parece provável que disposições semelhantes se apliquem nas prisões na Malásia e no Brunei, mas a informação sobre isso não está em mãos. O QUE É RESPONSÁVEL POR CANING O Caning é normalmente confinado a machos com idade entre 16 e 50. Casos são freqüentemente relatados em que um homem escapa da cana simplesmente porque ele tem mais de 50 anos. Em um caso de Cingapura. Um homem condenado à prisão e caning quando ele tinha 49 anos conseguiu evadir o recurso ao apelar sua sentença. Embora o recurso não tenha falhado, o Tribunal Superior decidiu que ele não poderia ser canado porque, entretanto, ele havia completado 50 anos. A Malásia há algum tempo discutiu a abolição do limite de idade superior para estupradores, alegando que, se um homem ainda estiver apto Para cometer estupro, ele está apto para ser canado. Esta alteração na lei já foi feita, e um dos primeiros casos em que um estuprador com mais de 50 anos foi condenado a caning na Malásia ocorreu em abril de 2008. um garoto de 56 anos foi condenado a receber 12 golpes. Nenhuma alteração semelhante à lei foi relatada em Cingapura ou no Brunei. Em Cingapura, os menores menores de idade adolescentes podem não ser canalizados pelos tribunais inferiores: o Tribunal Juvenil. Não tem poder para pedir castigos corporais (Helena H. M. Chan, The Legal System of Singapore. Butterworths Asia, 1995). A Parte III da Lei de Crianças e Jovens afirma: Nenhuma criança ou jovem deve ser condenado por qualquer tribunal que não seja o Supremo Tribunal para castigos corporais (s.37 (3)). O Tribunal Superior de Singapura, então, está habilitado a pedir a cana para meninos menores de 16 anos. Os relatórios de tais casos são raros, mas em julho de 1999, o Tribunal Superior ordenou que três crianças de 15 anos fossem caned por ofensas cometidas enquanto uma delas era Ainda apenas 14. Três meses depois, o Tribunal foi ainda mais longe, condenando um menino ainda apenas 14 a cinco anos na prisão e dez golpes de cana para chutar e roubar um homem idoso. Dez derrames é o máximo para meninos com menos de 16 anos (seção 230 do Código de Processo Penal) e o caning em tais casos é aplicado com um rotininho leve (s.229 (4)). Algumas estatísticas estão disponíveis: 20 menores foram canalizados judicialmente em Cingapura em 1998 e 39 no período de janeiro a setembro de 1999. Este último equivale a cerca de um por semana. No entanto, um relatório mais recente do DOC sugere que 1999 foi um golpe: houve 76 jovens em latin nos 4 anos do início de 2003 a junho de 2007, uma média de 17 por ano. Até onde se sabe, o procedimento para meninos menores de 16 anos em Cingapura é o mesmo que para homens adultos, além do uso do rotininho menor. No entanto, a esse respeito, em geral, Singapura tornou-se mais como o país de antes de 1972 - onde a prisão e a alça judicial foram confinadas a infratores maiores de 16 anos - do que a Grã-Bretanha pré-1948, onde a grande maioria dos castigos corporais eram de meninos 16 (Escócia) ou menores de 14 anos (Inglaterra e País de Gales) e as sentenças não combinadas com prisão. A situação na Malásia e no Brunei difere na medida em que os tribunais locais têm poderes caning sobre os juvenis, e na Malásia estes foram realmente aumentados em 1999. Com os novos tribunais infantis recebendo o poder de pedir até 10 golpes com uma cana leve para meninos com idade entre 10 e 18. Os tribunais de magistrados ordinários já tinham esse poder, mas os canings nesse caso devem ser dados pelo pai ou tutor dos meninos dentro das instalações do tribunal. Os canings sob o Child Act 2001 devem ser administrados com força média, nas instalações do tribunal. O menino deve vestir-se, e a pessoa que administra a cana não deve levantar a mão sobre a cabeça, para que a pele não seja cortada. A cana deve ser levantada após cada golpe e não puxada. Os pais ou responsáveis podem estar presentes, se assim o desejarem. No Brunei, a lei prevê que, no caso de um jovem infractor, o chicote deve ser infligido no caminho da disciplina escolar com um rotan leve. Isso sugere que aqui, também, o menino mantém suas calças. Nenhuma informação parece estar disponível sobre a frequência com que esses poderes são usados. Muito poucos desses casos são mencionados na imprensa, mas isso pode ser apenas porque os repórteres não se preocupam em abranger os processos judiciais juvenis. Um que foi relatado envolveu um menino de 15 que o tribunal ordenou a seu pai que lhe desse quatro golpes da bengala. E isso foi feito imediatamente. Esses tipos de juvenis malaios, ao contrário dos adultos, não precisam ser combinados com uma pena de prisão. Normalmente, a CP judicial entra nas notícias internacionais apenas quando os visitantes ocidentais são canados. Em Cingapura, o exemplo mais conhecido é o de Michael Fay em 1994. Em cujo caso devemos voltar mais tarde. Mas houve vários outros. Um holandês de 48 anos de idade obteve 6 anos mais 10 golpes para importar ecstasy - e ele não estava trazendo os remédios para Cingapura, simplesmente mudando de aviões a caminho da Indonésia. Na Malásia, também houve casos de alto nível de ocidentais que receberam sentenças caning, especialmente para crimes relacionados a drogas. Exemplos incluem o neozelandês Aaron Cohen e o australiano Robert Symes. A colocação de adultos é nunca ou quase nunca imposta por conta própria, mas é além de uma pena de prisão. Às vezes, um homem e uma mulher cometem a mesma ofensa e são igualmente culposos. A fêmea pode obter uma pena de prisão, mas o masculino terá que sofrer uma caning, além do prazo da prisão. Muitos milhares de homens receberam esse castigo, e os números aumentaram inexoravelmente ao longo dos anos. Alguns números para Singapura: 1987: 602 caned (incluindo 115 estrangeiros) 1988: 616 caned (119 estrangeiros) 1992: 1.422 caned 1993: 3,244 caned, ou mais de 60 por semana. 2006: 5.984 sentenças caning (cerca de 95 dos quais foram realizadas) 2007: 6.404 frases caning (cerca de 95 das quais foram realizadas), ou cerca de 120 canings por semana. Mas o número dessas frases caiu de forma dramática desde então, até apenas 2.318 em 2011, presumivelmente como resultado de uma política de sentença mais indulgente apresentada após uma mudança de juiz em 2006. Esta informação não tem, na medida em que podemos descobrir , Publicado em Singapura, mas aparece anualmente nos Relatórios dos Direitos Humanos do Departamento de Estado dos EUA, presumivelmente é correto ou as autoridades de Cingapura certamente o teriam desafiado. A figura de 60 por semana na década de 1990 é apoiada por um ex-funcionário da Changi Jail, que em 1995 disse: "Eles estão açoitando cada vez mais nos dias de hoje. Antes de fazerem talvez 60 às terças e sextas-feiras, agora estão fazendo uma centena (Eye of a Tiger, The Guardian, 20 de maio de 1995). E evidentemente falava sozinho sobre a prisão de Changi. Lembro-me de um dia vendo talvez 60 homens nus em Changi esperando para obter caned, acrescentou. No entanto, é possível que este número inclua casos de disciplina de prisão, bem como canings ordenados pelo tribunal. O que essas estatísticas também mostram é que a grande maioria dos casos judiciais não são cobertos na imprensa local, ou pelo menos não nos documentos de língua inglesa, que tipicamente relatam cerca de três ou quatro frases latentes por semana, em média. A explicação mais provável é que a maioria dos canings são de infractores de imigração, que geralmente recebem o mínimo obrigatório de três derrames, bem como sendo bastante brevemente presos e depois deportados. Channel News A Ásia informou que 11.790 prisões foram feitas em Singapura por crimes de imigração em 2004 (quase 11.800 delinquentes de imigração presos em 2004, 17 de fevereiro de 2005). Uma análise de relatórios de jornal de sentenças de caning impostas em Cingapura para o período de 1997-2000 fornece algumas informações amplas sobre esse assunto, embora novamente seja necessário sublinhar que apenas uma fração das sentenças impostas são relatadas na mídia. Durante este período, foram relatadas cerca de 360 frases que infligiram um total de aproximadamente 3.200 acidentes vasculares cerebrais. Dos condenados: 30 eram na adolescência (8) 156 em seus 20 anos (43) 108 nos 30 (30) 66 nos 40 anos (18). Aplicando esses índices a uma possível figura anual de cerca de 3.500 destinatários durante esse período, podemos estimar os seguintes números caned a cada ano: 16 a 19 anos: 280 Homens na década de 20: 1.505 Homens na década de 30: 1.050 Homens na década de 40: 630 16 of the Singapore sentences studied imposed 6 strokes, 12 imposed 12 strokes, and 10 imposed 24 strokes, the remainder covering the whole range of odd and even numbers from 1 to 20 strokes. But these figures largely exclude immigration offences. Some Singapore reports refer to dozens of illegal immigrants being sentenced to caning at each court session. The same kind of thing has happened more recently in Malaysia, as in this 2004 case in which about 160 offenders were sentenced, all on one day, to be caned and deported. The usual sentence in such cases is 3 or 4 strokes in Singapore and Brunei, but often only one stroke in Malaysia. In December 2004 it was reported that 18,607 illegal immigrants had been whipped in Malaysia in two years. Only five of these men had received six strokes. 15,214 of them received only one stroke. 11,473 of those caned were Indonesians. In December 2006, Malaysia set up special immigration courts. In the first half of 2007 these new courts sentenced 5,657 immigration offenders to jail terms in special detention centres. 2,922 of these were also caned. Overall JCP statistics for Malaysia do not seem to be available. A 2005 report quoted an official in the state of Sabah as saying that about 60 convicts are caned per week in that state. Sabah contains about 15 of Malaysias population. So if it is typical of the country as a whole, this would suggest some 400 canings a week, or about 21,000 per year. This would be roughly 1 caning per year per thousand inhabitants, broadly similar to the ratio in Singapore. Even less information is available about the frequency of JCP in tiny Brunei. The Associated Press has reported that there were 68 canings in Brunei in 2007 for immigration offences. HOW MANY STROKES ARE GIVEN The Singapore Criminal Procedure Code lays down that 24 strokes is the maximum that can be ordered. Contrary to popular myth, the strokes must all be inflicted on the same occasion, and not in instalments. It is important to be clear that most caning sentences are not of anywhere near 24 strokes. Much more common are sentences of between three and six strokes. (Michael Fays sentence for vandalism was six strokes, reduced in the event to four as an act of clemency.) Press reports of sentences probably give a misleading impression of the norm: the more serious cases are the ones more likely to be reported. As we have seen, the great majority of caning sentences do not get into the media. Most of the more graphic descriptions of the results of judicial caning relate to the more severe sentences and do not really apply when only three or four strokes are given. It was previously thought that 24 strokes was a maximum sentence per trial . but it has recently been clarified by the Law Minister in Parliament that for this purpose per trial means per offence, and the 24-stroke limit per caning is only a general rule following a decision by the Attorney-General in 1990 that 24 strokes are enough of a deterrent measure. The Minister added: There may be a limit of 24 strokes of the cane in any one caning session but that doesnt mean that if he has been tried for different offences, that when hes sent to prison, he may not be receiving different sessions of caning. The same figure of 24 is also the maximum in Malaysia and Brunei. It has been reported that in Malaysia, too, the 24-stroke maximum is per infliction and per warrant, not per trial: if a prisoner is charged under several warrants, he has to serve the combined number of strokes. He can take at the most 24 strokes each time. When the wounds are healed, he has to endure the painful experience all over again. A case was reported in August 2004 in which a rapist was sentenced to 50 strokes in total. In 1991, Quek Kee Chong, 26, sued the Singapore Government for grievous injuries to his buttocks following a 48-stroke caning at Changi jail in April 1988. The court had awarded him 12 strokes on each of four armed robbery charges (Convicted man sues Govt over number of strokes he received, Straits Times . 6 June 1991). Clearly he should not have been given all the strokes at once, and the government later gave him an ex-gratia compensation payment in settlement. Other members of Queks criminal gang have recently made similar claims. saying they too received more than 24 strokes each, but did not realise at the time that this was contrary to the rules. Mr Queks family members said he had later been hospitalised at the Changi Prison Hospital. They were surprised how he withstood the 48 strokes, which, according to informed prison sources, is quite remarkable for a sturdy man to take. THE DIMENSIONS OF THE CANE Punishment canes are made of rattan. Contrary to popular myth, bamboo is not used. Unlike bamboo, rattan is very flexible when wet. The word cane causes some confusion because in American English it usually means a thick, rigid stick, as in a walking stick. A rattan punishment cane is nothing like a walking cane. In some pictures the soaked rattan appears to be so bendy that it may be understandable that some observers are said to have mistakenly thought the implements were actually leather whips. The size and dimensions of the cane are prescribed by regulation. In Singapore, for adult men it is 1.2 metres (4 feet) long, and 1.3cm (half an inch) in diameter (Prison Regulations 132(2)). The Malaysian cane is very slightly smaller, at 1.09m long and 1.25cm thick. A smaller cane, the light rattan, is used for boys under 16, in both Singapore and Malaysia. The dimensions of Singapores light rattan are not known. It could be similar to the Singapore school cane, which is only slightly shorter than the judicial cane but a good deal thinner. In Malaysia, it has been revealed that the juvenile light rattan is also used for non-violent white-collar offenders, those convicted of criminal breach of trust -- embezzlement and the like (Criminal Procedure Code (Amendment) Act 1994). It has been described as about half the size of the standard rotan. This seems to be an exaggeration. The following picture, from a display at Johor Baru prison, shows one longer and two shorter canes, and the shorter ones are only a few inches shorter than the longer one, but also somewhat thinner. Malaysia, but not Singapore, also has separate Islamic religious courts administering Sharia (Syariah) law, applicable only to Moslems. This operates in parallel with the mainstream judicial system. Its provisions vary in detail from one state to another and do not primarily concern criminal matters but, when they do, canings are occasionally ordered for such sins as adultery or drinking alcohol. (In practice this sort of thing appears to happen only in the conservative rural northern states. where Islam is much stronger than in KL or the other heavily westernised urban centres on the west coast.) These are carried out in prisons by the same officers who administer the ordinary judicial canings. But, here again, it is the smaller rotan that is used, and it is applied with much less force, the aim being a symbolic act of shame rather than serious physical pain. The prisoner is strapped to a large wooden trestle. The type used in Singapore is clearly closely based on, if not identical with, the British dual-purpose prison flogging frame, originally designed for both floggings with the cat on the upper back (offender standing upright) and punishments applied to the posterior (offender bending over). The Singapore trestle seen in a recent government anti-crime video, Prison Me No Way, is specially made and painted blue. It is like two Hs joined at the top and extended at the base to about three feet. There is a timber base, comprising four pieces of timber joined to form a rectangle, on which the prisoner stands in his bare feet. On his side of the trestle there are two horizontal bars. The upper crossbar is slightly padded and adjustable, so that in position it is at the level of his waist. The padding is like a sheepskin or piece of foam wrapped around a piece of timber. The lower crossbar has bolted to it two short lengths of chain, each of four links to which are attached, by D-rings, restraining ankle cuffs. These are of black leather, with chrome fittings they are about two inches wide with smaller tightening straps. On the opposite side of the trestle there is a stabilising crossbar, higher up, and another crossbar placed slightly lower than the adjustable one on the prisoners side. Attached to this crossbar are wrist cuffs, similar to the ankle cuffs. When the prisoners wrists are attached to these cuffs his hands are able to hold on to this crossbar. The Singapore Director of Prisons said: . it is essential that the leather be strong . the prisoner struggles violently after each of the first three strokes . In some reports the cuffs are stated to be of rubber. Possibly, different equipment is used in different institutions. It can be seen from several pictures of dummy demonstration canings that very similar equipment is used in Brunei. In Malaysia, on the other hand, the frame (pictured right) is a triangle rather than a trestle, coming to a point at the top instead of having parallel sides. The convict does not bend over but must stand upright. A specially designed protective shield is placed round the torso, leaving only the buttocks exposed. It is not known when or why this different approach was adopted in Malaysia. THE MEDICAL EXAMINATION It is a requirement that the prisoner be medically fit to be caned. At the beginning of the official Malaysian caning video. the prison doctor and his assistant are seen carrying out a medical examination on a prisoner about to receive punishment. The Singapore Criminal Procedure Code, Section 231(1) provides: The punishment of caning shall not be inflicted unless a medical officer is present and certifies that the offender is in a fit state of health to undergo such punishment. There is no appeal against the MOs decision that the prisoner is fit to be caned ( Tam Eng Chye v Director of Prisons . Attorney-Generals Annual Report 20045 PDF, p.9). The doctor has the power to stop the punishment at any time, and his duties include medical treatment on its completion. In the Malaysian video it is seen that each recipient is taken to the prison hospital immediately the caning is over, where he lies face down on a bed and has his buttocks cleaned up and disinfected. In Singapore the post-caning treatment is said to include the painting-on of gentian violet, a disinfectant which dyes the skin temporarily purple (possibly making the damage look worse than it actually is). However, some Singapore recipients, including Michael Fay, report being taken straight back to their cells without any immediate medical attention (though later he got some sort of dressing on his wounds). One might infer that first aid is not always deemed necessary after only a few strokes. High blood pressure or heart problems are said to be grounds for exemption in Malaysia. A report in 2003 stated that, out of 19 prisoners being whipped on a particular day at a jail in Sarawak, three (about 15) were found medically unfit. As we have seen, however, in Singapore it has been stated that 95 of caning sentences are actually inflicted. CANING SESSIONS IN PRISON In both Singapore and Malaysia, canings are inflicted so frequently that there are regular sessions at which groups of men are dealt with together. The men are made to squat in a line outside the caning room to await their turn. According to a former Singapore prison employee interviewed in 1994, these sessions are normally held every Tuesday and Friday at Changi, the famous top-security jail. But there are also other jails, notably Queenstown Remand Prison, where the American teenager Michael Fay was caned in May 1994 for vandalism. Prisoners are not told in advance when their caning is to take place. Fay was one of a group of ten inmates punished that Thursday afternoon: Fay was led from his cell to a waiting room, along with nine other inmates. He said About 2.30 p. m. they brought me down a hall handcuffed. After his number was called, he was taken into the punishment area. Others have described as waiting their turn in groups of ten or even twenty men. Presumably, sometimes there will be a long wait, particularly if there is a large batch of men and if a number of 15 or 24 stroke sentences have to be inflicted. Having to wait no doubt adds to the fear and apprehension of the occasion. Peter (not his real name), who received 10 strokes in Changi Prison for gang offences, recalled his experience in a 1991 newspaper interview: That morning, about 10 of us were called up for a medical check-up. Nobody told us what it was for but we knew. The anxiety began when we were led back to our cells after the check up. I kept thinking of the unwritten law. No begging and no screaming. I kept reminding myself. After lunch and a short break, our group was led to the caning compound. All 10 of us were made to squat while waiting in a corridor. The wait was terrible. We were all hoping to be called first, to get it over and done with. At least you dont have to see the others suffer and be even more scared. Another man, Sam, who received 15 strokes for rape, described his experience: (I was) three months into my prison term when the day of the caning came. There were about twenty of us all lined up in a row outside a room where we were going to be caned. I was number 6. We were all in shorts and singlets. Another prisoner, Ah Seng, described his wait: I was very frightened. I had heard how painful caning was and also what one suffered after the caning. INSIDE THE CANING AREA This tiny picture from an official Youth Crime CD-ROM produced in the 1990s is the only known photograph of an actual judicial caning under way in Singapore. (NOTE: Contrary to some press reports, the CD-ROM contains only small stills, not a video of a caning.) The room in the picture is large and has a very high ceiling. There is a polished floor. At the end of the room there are tables at which senior prison staff are seated to view the infliction. At the other end of the room is the caning trestle. It is perhaps 9 feet high, solidly constructed from timber, on a wooden base on which the prisoner stands. It is not known where this photo was taken. Perhaps it is Changi jail. Michael Fays caning at Queenstown Road Remand Prison, however, took place -- according to the transcript of a later TV interview with Fay -- not in a room at all, but in an open-air prison yard that was partially protected from a tropical downpour by a covering over the trestle to which he was bound. Here is a computer-enhanced version of another picture from the CD. This shows the prisoner from behind as he is strapped into the frame, during or immediately after the punishment. Here it is just possible to discern the raw and bleeding flesh of the lower buttock area, particularly the right buttock, with some blood trickling down the thigh. Compare these pictures with the following diagram from the government-controlled Straits Times of 1 May 1994, headed How a Prisoner is Caned, part of an article entitled Prisons Department sets the facts straight on caning. One respect in which the artist of the above drawing seems to have got it significantly wrong is in showing the offenders feet spread wide apart, with the ankles strapped to the side legs of the frame. The photos show the legs in fact fairly close together, as in pre-1965 British prison birchings. This ensures that the genitalia are not accidentally hit from behind. In Malaysian prisons, the punishment is inflicted in an open yard, as we see in these video clips. The main difference with Singapore is that the prisoner stands upright, and his legs are placed apart (see picture at right). The danger of hitting the genitals is avoided by the use of a special torso shield, which covers the mans lower body, exposing only the buttocks themselves. Judicial caning involves a formal, ritualised ceremony. Uniformed officers are in attendance, and orders are given by the senior officer. Although canings are inflicted out of sight of other prisoners, there are several prison officers in attendance, including the superintendent, a superintendent warder, prison officers, the doctor and male nurse or assistants, and the officers administering the caning. Victims have described how sometimes the caning officer will be practising on a dummy while the prisoner is being prepared. Peter described being called in for his turn: When my name was called, I tried to pretend everything was under control. But I couldnt walk properly and my T-shirt was wet with sweat. The sound of the warder flexing the cane made it worse. When it was my turn to go in, I saw six men in the room: two police officers, a doctor, and three men -- the ones administering the caning. I also saw a cluster of rotans THE CANING OFFICERS The caning officers are specially trained. They are all robustly built and some hold quite high grades in martial arts, though official sources have denied that this is a requirement. Michael Fay described the warder who administered his caning as young, very fit. Sam remembered his caner as muscular. The official interviewed by Maggie OKane of The Guardian in 1995 (Eye of a Tiger, 20 May) was only in his early twenties but had already retired from the job. The officers are put though a period of training before they are accredited. The chief caner is always present at these training sessions, and often a doctor is there too. The aim is to inflict maximum pain with the least permanent damage. Caning is practised on sandbags, dummies or banana trees. The caners wear a T-shirt or similar costume as freedom of movement is essential. One former caning operative has said that in the 1960s he was paid SGD 1 for each prisoner caned. The largest number of strokes he could remember delivering in one session was 60. By 1990 the sum paid was SGD 10 to SGD 20 per flogging, plus SGD 20 (about euro10) per month on top of the normal prison officers salary ( The Caning of Michael Fay by Gopal Baratham, p.108). Nick Rogue Trader Leeson claimed that the Singapore caners are bodybuilders, who are paid SGD 2 for every stroke ( Daily Mail . London, 10 July 1999). However, Leeson was probably merely retailing prison gossip. He is not necessarily a reliable source, and neither, certainly, is the Daily Mail . In Malaysia, where canings take place at numerous prisons in the various states, there are some 50 flogging officers nationwide. The bonus paid to them was increased in 2005 from MYR 3 per stroke (less than one euro) to MYR 10 per stroke (nearly euro3). At Kajang prison, canings are scheduled for every Wednesday and Friday. Selecting and training caning officers is said to be a long and difficult process. out of 30 candidates among prison officers, only two may be selected following a test of their strength, precision, consistency and movement of their strokes and their discipline, attitude and team spirit. PROCEDURE IN DETAIL The Singapore Prisons Regulations require that caning be inflicted on the buttocks (Regulation 132(2)). In practice the prisoner is required to strip completely naked for the administration of the punishment. A former prison officer has stated that, before the caning, the prisoners name is read out to ensure he is the correct person. The offence and the prescribed punishment is read out so the prisoner can confirm it. (The same precautions are taken in Malaysia, as shown in the official video.) Once he has removed his clothes, the inmate is made to stand facing the trestle so that he can be tied to it. In Singapore, he is made to bend over a pad between the front legs. His feet are secured to the front base with his hands secured to the back legs, so that he is bent over at about right angles at the hip. As the Straits Times described it in 1974, he bends over with his bottoms sic up, ready to receive his punishment. A pillow or cushion is secured across the small of his back to protect the vulnerable kidney area from a mis-stroke. Michael Fay said they stripped me and put rubber-lined padding around my sides, leaving the buttocks bare. Otherwise I was completely naked (interview in Newsweek . 4 July 1994). The prisoner is not gagged. Qwek Shi Lei, the then Director of Prisons, gave more details at a press conference in 1974. Prisoners, he said, are frightened that they will be unable to stop themselves crying out. They want to be able to take their punishment like a man, and crying means a loss of face. (Face is a big deal in Asian cultures.) Once the prisoner is secured, the caning officer will take up position, standing about five feet away, and adjusting his position with the aid of the cane. According to Mr Qwek . correct positioning is critical. If he is too near the prisoner, the tip of the cane will fall beyond the buttocks and thus reduce the effect of the stroke. If he is too far, the stroke will only cover part of the buttocks. A senior officer stands by, with the doctor. The cane is soaked overnight in water, so it is supple. The Prisons Department says this is to prevent it from splitting and shearing the skin. They denied earlier claims that the cane is soaked in brine. However, it is treated with antiseptic before use. A former flogger interviewed by Gopal Baratham has specified more precisely that it is the front third of the cane that is soaked in fluid to make it supple, producing the effect of a lash the back third is rigid so the caner has greater control (op. cit. p.105). Once the caning officer is in position and the order given to proceed, the strokes are called out: One Two, etc. by a warder. Michael Fay said they go Count one -- you hear them yell it really loud -- and a few seconds later they come. Each stroke is delivered after the call of the count. The blows are delivered at intervals of about thirty seconds. Sometimes two caning officers take turns to administer the strokes. CRIMINAL WHIPPING VS SYARIAH WHIPPING FOR A SYARIAH WHIPPING, the officer must exercise restraint and keep the upper arm close to the body. The rotans end is held at the height of the offenders head. The rotan swings downwards with only a movement of the wrist. -- PHOTOS: NEW STRAITS TIMES Irrespective of the age of the offender or the type of crime committed, every stroke is inflicted with the full strength of the warder: Canings are administered with maximum force ( South China Morning Post . Hong Kong, 2 April 1994). . when caning, the warder uses the whole of his body weight, and not just the strength of his arms, to strike. He holds the cane rigidly at arms length and pivots on his feet to deliver the stroke. (Singapore Director of Prisons, September 1974) A 25-year-old caning officer in Malaysian prisons, Iskandar Radz, said that he underwent a two-week training course during which he was taught how to swing the 1.09-metre cane at a minimum speed of 160kph and produce a force upon impact of at least 90kg. Apparently different techniques are permitted: . there were those who twirled and those who took a breath and took careful aim. There were those who took three steps forward and those who stood absolutely still. It was all a matter of individual style some played a serve and volley game and some preferred to play from the base line, some used a type of top spin, others preferred the quick smash. They were allowed to use the method they liked best. Individual preference was respected (Baratham, p.107). Others have said . the caner was remarkably good. No two strokes inflicted by him fell on the same spot. It was one slightly above or below the other. The caning was implemented with machine-like precision . . . my men were trained using dummies with chalk lines on their buttocks. The timing and aim of the stroke had to be just right, just like a golf swing . Michael Fay stated . the caner did not run, but rather walked sharply forward three steps so he can get a little power behind him. The caner in the photo from the CD-ROM, on the other hand, appears to be launching into a sort of flying leap. The photo sequence on the right, from the Straits Times of 3 July 2005, shows a Malaysian prison officer demonstrating his caning technique. The accompanying article quotes prison officer Wahid, 35, who metes out 100 strokes in an average week at Kajang Prison in Selangor, near Kuala Lumpur: Under the criminal penal code, the whipping officer must use as much force as he can muster during the caning. The power behind an ordinary whipping comes from the wrist, arm, shoulder and the swing. Whipping convicts is much more difficult (than administering a Syriah caning) because you have to do it with a lot of power. The harder, the better. If he holds back even one notch, the officer fails in his duty. Thats why all whipping officers are tall and big bodied. You have to be very focused because there is a very small area to hit. When you have made contact with the buttocks, you must drag the tip of the rotan along the skin to break it. It could be the use of this dragging technique to deliberately break the skin, as much as the size of the cane and the force with which it is used, that makes judicial caning so much more severe in its effects than school caning. THE IMMEDIATE PHYSICAL EFFECTS Eyewitnesses and others have reported on the severity of the canings: The blows are applied with the full force of the jailers arm. When the rattan hits the bare buttocks, the skin disintegrates, leaving a white line and then a flow of blood. (Singapore Bar Association report) I . saw blood at the fourth stroke. The prisoner slumped over in evident terrible pain. The caning stopped (Caning -- the most dreaded punishment. Straits Times . 7 September 1974). The skin at the point of contact is usually split open and, after three strokes, the buttocks will be covered in blood. (Singapore Director of Prisons, September 1974) Left: Asiaweek published this picture purportedly of bleeding immediately after a Malaysian caning (number of strokes unknown). Compare with the results seen as canings progress in the Malaysian official video. The skin did rip open, there was some blood, said Michael Fay of his four-stroke caning. adding Lets not exaggerate, and lets not say a few drops or that the blood was gushing out. It was in between the two. Its like a bloody nose. The Prisons Department has denied allegations that the cane causes skin and flesh to fly. But they conceded that it does leave bruises and marks. This contradicts earlier statements in the government-controlled press. The New Paper . apparently rehashing reports of the famous 1974 press conference, did report in 1992 that Pieces of skin and flesh fly at each stroke. A US analyst has suggested that these earlier accounts may have been deliberately exaggerated in the hope of deterring delinquents (Singapores Relations With U. S. Still Sore, Washington Post . 14 May 1994). Another explanation for some of the apparent discrepancies between different accounts may simply be that not enough distinction has been made between canings of just a few strokes and those at or near the maximum of 24. For a very much more gruesome illustration of what appears to be the immediate aftermath of a caning of a large number of strokes, probably in Malaysia, see the JCP Pictures page (warning: not for the squeamish). Thus, when Gopal Baratham asked a former flogger Does the skin break and the flesh fly, the reply was, Always after fifteen strokes, however accurate the flogger, the skin will be gone and the flesh will fly (op. cit. p.119). The Singapore authorities could therefore perhaps claim that many of the more lurid media descriptions ahead of Michael Fays punishment were exaggerations when applied to what was to be only a six-stroke caning (reduced at the last minute to four). But then it is they or their predecessors, and particularly Prisons Director Qwek in 1974, who were the original source of most of these descriptions. If its a well-trained caner, the skin across the whole backside will split 99 per cent of the time. The well-trained caner will whack on different spots, avoiding already open wounds. (This produces the most pain with the least scarring). The cane leaves huge red welts and permanent scars ( Straits Times . 8 April 1994). REACTION OF THE PRISONER TO THE CANING The Director of Prisons said at his 1974 press conference that most prisoners put up a struggle after each of the first three strokes. He continued After that their struggles lessen as they become weaker. At the end of the caning those who receive more than three lashes are usually in a state of shock. Many will collapse, but the medical officer and his team of assistants are on hand to revive them and to apply antiseptic to the caning wounds. Many will pretend to faint, but they cannot fool the prison doctor whose presence is legally required. Michael Fay said that a prison officer stood beside him and guided him through the ordeal, saying: Okay Michael, three left. Okay Michael, two left. Okay one more, youre almost done. He was later told that he shouted out Im dying when the first stroke hit but he could not remember crying out. Fay did not recall hearing the caner say one word throughout the whole procedure. One of the floggers interviewed by Gopal Baratham said, Most are silent, but some pray, some beg for mercy, others scream (op. cit. p.107). Nick Leeson was not caned but he says his two cellmates were. He reported: It causes an awful lot of trauma to the body. People shake and shake. They cant stop themselves. The inmates are not allowed to utter a sound when theyre flogged if they want to keep face. Five lashes basically leave no unbroken skin on the backside, so if youre having 24 your backside is a mess. But you cannot scream. DESCRIPTIONS OF THE EXPERIENCE BY MEN WHO HAVE BEEN CANED It is the clear intention of the authorities that the caning be as painful as possible, and, judging from the descriptions of men who have personally experienced it, this aim is achieved. Neveille Tan, now a pastor in his sixties, received a total of 30 strokes on three occasions in 1958, 1959 and 1966 in Changi Prison. In his memoirs Iron Man he described the excruciating pain of a thick cane landing forcefully on soft flesh: He was a tall Indian man with a black moustache which twirled upwards at both ends. He looked fierce and strong. His arms were huge as I glanced at them through eyes of fear and tension. In his right hand was the cane, about as thick as the size of my thumb. He was flexing it, bending it and taking swings at the air with it. Each time he swung the cane it whistled. I began to imagine how much it would hurt when it landed on my bare backside. Two warders (prison guards) were busy strapping me on to a contraption that looked like a huge broadside letter A. One of them was strapping a canvas pad just above my buttocks. When he finished, he strapped another pad just below my buttocks to expose only the main part of my backside. By now my heart was pounding inside my chest. I gritted my teeth and prepared to receive the first stroke of the cane. This was the first time I was going to be whipped. My legs began to tremble and my heart pounded furiously as I heard the superintendent of prisons (the warden) reading the court order for me to be whipped with six strokes of the cane. The prison doctor, a thin turbaned Sikh with a stethoscope around his neck, was giving me the final look over. Are you OK he asked me as he pressed his stethoscope on my chest and back. Breathe in he ordered me. OK he asked again. I nodded. I could hear some movement behind me then I heard the voice of the Superintendent of prisons ordering the whipping to begin. Satu which in Malay means one he began the slow count . I heard the whizzing sound of the cane as it whizzed its way towards my bare buttocks. I heard the sharp cracking sound like the sound of a small pistol shot as it landed square, right across the tender flesh of my behind. There was no pain at first, just a warm burning sensation but slowly, as feeling returned, the heat became unbearably painful. It felt as if a red-hot poker had been pressed against my backside. I felt my flesh tingling and then came the throbbing pain. That was only the first stroke. I gritted my teeth as I heard the voice of the Superintendent calling out the second number in Malay - Dua as the second stroke landed, I found myself shivering with the pain. Every nerve in my body seemed to be reacting to the sting. The pain was now excruciating. Enam (six) came the count. Again, I heard the horrible whizzing sound of the descending cane through the air. My whole backside was now totally swollen. The pain had become extremely excruciating. The officer who was administering the whipping was not supposed to hit me on the same spot twice, but he did. I felt like I was ready to black out, but I forced myself to remain conscious and fought back the engulfing darkness. Even then, barely conscious, my pride was still strong. It would be shameful if I could not take even six strokes of the cane. I was not going to let them see my pain. I gritted my teeth so hard that my jaws felt stiff and ached. Then it was all over. I had received the full six strokes, my first six strokes of the cane. They untied me and as I tried to straighten myself, my legs were so wobbly that they almost buckled. It was over. The male nurse swabbed a dark violet blue lotion over my raw backside and I was ushered out of the room. Later in the book he describes the time when he was awarded 12 strokes for assaulting another inmate: (I was sentenced to) solitary confinement for fourteen days and twelve strokes of the cane. Two days later, the prison doctor visited my cell. He was the same, skinny, turbaned Sikh doctor who had attended to me when I was in Changi prison. You again he greeted me. And this time twelve He shook his head as he placed his stethoscope on my chest. He listened for a while and then said No problem lah Twenty-four also can, he smirked and with that, he left. I thought they would at least wait until my arm was totally healed. But that was not to be. The next day I was called out of my cell again and into the familiar room and strapped onto the same contraption as I received another twelve strokes of the cane . I laid face down on the floor naked from the waist down. I could feel liquid oozing from my wounds but I was too weak to pay any attention to it. That day, I refused to bathe. In the exercise yard, I just leaned against the wall and glared into the sky. I was drained of all emotions. What had I done. How did I get myself into this situation Had I buried myself in prison for good The days dragged by very slowly. Finally I counted that there would be only two days left before I would be released from solitary confinement. My backside had healed though the scabs were still there. I could wear my shorts now but there was still some bleeding every now and then. My wound was also beginning to itch but I was careful not to itch it. Further descriptions, from more recent times, are equally graphic: I waited for the first blow to land, biting my teeth hard and closing my eyes. I heard the cane crack and felt blood shoot right through my body. The pain was beyond description. If there is a word stronger than excruciating, that should be the word to describe it. (10 strokes) Someone said count one and he took three steps, swinging (the cane) back and forth, before hitting me on the third step. You hear a crack when it hits you. About a second went by and then it just burned all through my body. And it hurts, it does hurt. I felt a deep burning sensation throughout my body, real pain. My flesh was ripped open. (Michael Fay, 4 strokes) It sounded like a tree falling onto my buttocks. First, a stinging blow to my buttocks and when the cane was lifted, I could feel blood shooting up from my body. The pain was unbearable. And it got more painful. my body shook with pain (Sam, 15 strokes) If I was not tied up during the caning, I would have climbed up the wall with my bare hands (Jack, 20 strokes). The first stroke came. the pain was unbelievable and there were still five to go. There was pain in my whole body. Only my hair didnt feel pain. I thought nothing could be worse than that until the second stroke hit me. Then I really thought I was going to die. By the time the third came, my whole body was just a lump of pain and the other two strokes did not make any difference (Ah Seng, 5 strokes, interviewed by Baratham, p.111 ff.). Another warder stripped me and strapped me to a wooden trestle by my ankles and wrists. By then I was already shivering and perspiring with fear. Then I heard the cane. It sounded like a plank hitting the wall. A split second later, I felt it tearing across my buttocks. I screamed and struggled like a mad animal. All I thought was that I wanted to run away. If Im not tied up, one stroke could keep me running for a mile. It went on and on, one stroke one minute. Some lashes fell on the same spot, splitting open the skin even more. I felt giddy and went limp on the trestle at the last stroke. My bleeding buttocks throbbed with pain and felt like they were on fire. After we were flogged, a medical officer applied some antiseptic on the wounds. My buttocks then swelled to twice their normal size. My thighs went blue-black. I had to go without shorts for more than two weeks so that my wounds could heal. I couldnt sit on my buttocks or sleep on my back or bathe all this time either (Account of unidentified prisoner caned at age 17, New Paper, Singapore, 12 October 1988). Another description was broadcast on the Voice of America on 21 March 1994: (Reporter:) Miss Jones remembers the trauma reported by one man who came to Amnesty International after several strokes of the cane: he was shivering and perspiring with fear just before. and then during the caning, he remembers how it felt. it was like a tearing across his buttocks. he talked about how he screamed like a mad animal and how basically, it leaves festering and huge scars on his derriere. it swelled to twice its size and he was not able for weeks and weeks to wear clothing. The tremendous bruising black and blue of thighs. And he says to this day he still has nightmares about it. This happened when he was seventeen. Hes now over 40. This isnt just a little spanking. This is truly traumatic. It may be easy for people to say oh, this is simply a little pain and itll go away. If one has undergone it, I think one can really understand the cruelty of it. Every stroke was a stroke of hell, which I will never forget as long as I live. Malaysian judicial canings have provoked very similar first-person descriptions. Aaron Cohen recalled his caning : I got six. Its just incredible pain. More like a burning -- like someone sticking an iron on your bum. Thats the sort of feeling. Pain -- just ultimate pain. . The strokes came at the rate of one a minute -- but it seemed like a lifetime to me. I waited and waited for the first one and as soon as I let my breath out -- Baamm. Afterwards my bum looked like a side of beef. There was three lines of raw skin with blood oozing out. Another lively account of being flogged in a Malaysian prison is to be found in Robert Symess 1991 article in Penthouse . Symes received six strokes in 1982 for drug-trafficking. Once the final stroke is delivered, the prisoner is unbuckled from the trestle and given medical treatment: The doctor puts that purple medicine (gentian violet) on the wounds and they go back to their cells. They paint some medicine on the flogged area and send the inmate back to his cell. They get the stuff out of a bucket, and paint it like a mans backside is a wall. When it is over, the wounds are treated with the antiseptic, gentian violet, and for weeks the prisoner cannot sit down. After the fifteenth stroke, they untied him and told him to go, after the doctor applied a medicated lotion on his buttocks. He was also given a bottle of lotion. When necessary, dressings are applied to cover the wounds. Michael Fay reported that a doctor changed the dressings on his wounds every day. Alex, who received three strokes for vandalism in November 1994, wrote: The day I was caned, I weighed about 132 pounds. That was about 40 days after admission. The pain was a bit killing but I was all right and there was no blood just after caning, so the attendant medic did not apply the blue lotion on my buttock. I have no experience so I sat on the floor to cool the buttock. Then the skin split and blood came out. He said that the blood just wet his shorts but there was not excessive bleeding. Most of the others caned on that day had blue lotion applied. It took about 2 weeks or longer to heal, because we were not given medicine or lotion. Also when we assembled, we squatted down. This caused the skin scar to part and blood will come out. For this reason, he said, men who have been caned seek to be excused from squatting at gate landings while moving about the prison. Nick Leeson when in Tumah Marah Prison recalled fellow inmates being caned: Some people say the easiest way to get over it is to go back to the hall where the floor is very hot and just sit on it to cauterise the wound (Repentance of a Rogue Trader, Daily Mail . London, 10 July 1999). After he is unshackled and treated, the prisoner is taken back to his cell to recover. Peter recalled that after 10 strokes, he was unable to walk without help from the warder: As I was being led out of the caning compound, I caught a glimpse of the used canes. They were split and bloody. They even had pieces of skin stuck on them. Some were probably mine. Some prisoners in Singapore are taken to the prison hospital after their caning. In Malaysia this appears to be routine for all caned prisoners. AFTER EFFECTS: THE HEALING OF THE WOUNDS This tiny picture (right), taken from the above-mentioned CD-ROM, gives a glimpse of the wounded backsides of two young offenders some time (it is not clear how long) after a Singapore caning. The photograph on the left (click it to enlarge), found on a Malaysian government (prison service) website, was originally captioned Kesan luka hukuman sebat (marks of wounds from caning punishment). It appears to show the position after bleeding has stopped but before the wounds have started to heal, so probably within a few days of the caning. The following picture was on display at the Johor Baru prison exhibition: This, too, was probably taken relatively shortly after these prisoners were caned. It is interesting to note how different the wounds can be from one case to another, even allowing for different numbers of strokes. The wounds of caning take some weeks to heal. Here are some descriptions of the after-effects by men who have been caned. My buttocks felt as if they were burning. They swelled to twice their normal size. I could not sit down or lie on my back. I couldnt even walk properly. The skin on (my) buttocks peeled off and (my) backside was completely bruised. It bled on and off for days . (I had to) put on an apron for about ten days as I could not wear shorts. (I was) also unable to sit. Immediately after the caning (I had to lie on my) stomach for about four hours. For two hours (I even had) difficulty standing up . Going to the toilet was the worst . you dont dare to squat because you may tear open the wounds again. So you try to do it half sitting and half squatting (Jack - 20 strokes). I stumbled to an adjacent room and plonked myself down. For the next three weeks (I) slept with my face down. (I) could neither eat or sleep properly. For the first week, I couldnt even sleep. The pain was unbearable. It took more than a month for the wounds to dry. My buttocks didnt look normal after that, with the skin drooping and the scars (Sam - 15 strokes). (After the caning) I couldnt sit down or lie on my back for a week. (Going to the toilet) was the worst of all . I could not squat or even bend my knees. I got scared every time I got the urge . I tried not eating but this did not work. I still had to go and I had to do this standing up, holding my buttocks wide apart. (This lasted) one week then things came back to normal (Ah Seng - 5 strokes). The wounds take between a week and a month to heal. During that time many cannot sit or sleep on their backs and dare not bathe for fear of getting sores. The wounds heal but the marks are indelible. The caners are supposed to be so skilful that they never hit the same spot twice ( Sunday Times . Singapore, 13 July 1986). My buttocks swelled a little bit . the wounds hurt for about five days after which they itched as they healed. The first couple of days it was very hard to sit. Now about six weeks after the caning on one side there are three dark brown scar patches on my right buttock, and four lines each about 1.2cm wide on my left buttock, where the flesh was torn (Michael Fay - 4 strokes). According to statements by Michael Fays father and one of his lawyers, the US diplomat who saw him in prison, shortly after the caning, was allowed to inspect the damage. Fay was reported to be bleeding through bandages over his buttocks. When the bandages were removed the diplomat is said to have observed that the flesh was ripped and broken, there were circular wounds, about two inches in diameter, where it appeared there was more serious damage, where the cane had struck twice. Fay senior also claimed that the diplomat had reported that Mike had a great deal of difficulty in walking, but he was able to sit down at one point, although again it was with a great deal of difficulty. His face was contorted. He was in pain, and when he sat down, he sat down very gingerly (Caned Youth Gets Visit In Singapore, New York Times . 7 May 1994). However, these are second - or third-hand impressions: the diplomat himself had declined to say anything to the press except that, not being a doctor, he was not qualified to make a judgement about Fays condition. At all events the Singapore authorities disputed these quoted accounts, dismissing Fay seniors remarks as wild allegations and misinformation and saying that Fay sat, laughed and smiled during the visit, and wanted his father to shut up about the caning. They also claimed that Fay said the caning was not as bad and horrifying as described in the press ( USA Today . 9 May 1994 Washington Post . 8 May 1994). But then, as Gopal Baratham has written, There are rumours that the caner was asked to go lightly on the boy so that the lashing did not leave permanent scars on his buttocks, scars that he could expose to the American media: scars that would do more harm to Singapores international image than they had done to Fays behind (op. cit. p.22). According to Nick Leeson, My cellmates had five strokes each. They lay on their front for two days. It basically takes two weeks to heal (Repentance of a Rogue Trader, Daily Mail . London, 10 July 1999). Caning as described above will produce permanent scars, according to several reports. In an NBC documentary shown in 1994, a former prisoner was shown raising his sarong and exposing his bottom to the camera - the scars of his caning were clearly visible. Likewise, The New Paper in 1991 published the following picture of the buttocks of an ex-convict who, it said, had been caned 10 years previously: And in Gopal Barathams book, two pictures are reproduced - in fact almost certainly different views of the same man: The Singapore Director of Prisons in his 1974 news conference said: . the cane marks are indelible and these will be a source of humiliation to (the prisoners) for the rest of their lives. Reporting on the news conference, the Straits Times . in an article called Branding the Bad Hats for Life. stated on 13 September 1974: The Director of Prisons . yesterday gave a graphic, blow-by-blow account of how criminals are caned so they will walk with scarred bottoms for the rest of their lives. Jack and Peter, both caned in the early 1980s, told the New Paper that the caning had affected them in their life after prison, and how they had to find excuses to explain away the marks. Men who have been caned are not permitted to serve in the Singapore Armed Forces. After the 1974 news conference, one Singapore paper took up the issue of scarring in an editorial. suggesting that . marking a criminal for life -- even on a spot not immediately visible to others -- smacks of barbaric medievalism. The editorial also criticised the whole tone of the Prisons Directors press conference. (Clearly the local newspapers were less rigidly controlled by the regime in 1974 than they are now: even this muted degree of criticism is never found in the Singapore press today.) However, it is not certain that the marks last forever in cases where relatively few strokes were administered. The following photograph of 20-year-old Dickson Tans bottom was taken just one year after his 8-stroke caning: Dickson Tan, who was caned for helping an illegal money lender, displays his bruises for the camera in Singapore March 27, 2008. Tan is suing the Singapore government for around S3 million (USD 2.2 million) in damages for mistakenly caning him three more strokes than he was sentenced to. court documents showed. REUTERSVivek Prakash Despite what the Reuters caption says, we see no bruises here, only weals. Any bruises had already disappeared. In fact this looks at first glance just like an ordinary schoolboy caning, until we remember that it is 12 months after the event. Even so, it is not obvious that this relatively moderate scarring is going to be there for life. HUMILIATION AND DETERRENCE Judicial caning is clearly intended to be a humiliating experience. Former Prime Minister Lee Kwan Yew, founding father of modern Singapore, introducing mandatory caning for vandalism in 1966, told Parliament: . if (the offender) knows he is going to get three of the best, I think he will lose a great deal of enthusiasm, because there is little glory attached to the rather humiliating experience of having to be caned. (Lee, now Minister Mentor, always seems to refer to the subject in this oddly juvenile vein -- three of the best, and so on -- as if to suggest, though he surely cannot seriously believe, that the punishments in question are somehow equivalent to the headmasters canings he received as a schoolboy at Raffles College in the 1930s, which he mentions in his memoirs.) In fact, the severity and humiliation of the punishment are widely publicised: compulsory prison visits for juvenile delinquents include viewing what newspapers have described as a film of the execution of the punishment (though it is not known whether such a film really exists for Singapore) as well as a real-life demonstration by a warder on a dummy. The films of Malaysian canings were evidently made by the authorities with a similar aim in mind. One newspaper article stated in 1974. In the Singapore context, caning is the most dreaded form of punishment. If proof be needed, I need only recall the very many instances when young and middle-aged offenders, under caning orders, begged the Appeal Court in vain to suspend them and give longer prison terms instead. (But) until Parliament changes the law, there is nothing that can be done. There is, indeed, little sympathy expressed towards those being caned. A writer from the National University of Singapore defended the punishment: . it is a part of the law that most Singaporeans are glad to give their support . the purpose of caning is to inflict pain. For this purpose, the safest place to cane is really the buttock, and none other . According to accounts given by people who have been caned, they suffered immense pain during the caning, and would not be able to sit or lie down on their buttocks for many days, even up to two weeks. And the surface of the skin may split open during the caning. Thats all The result of caning is a lasting mark on their buttocks. This serves a lasting educational purpose they will always be reminded not to commit the offence again Although the extensive use of corporal punishment in Singapore is a policy associated with Lee Kwan Yew and his ruling Peoples Action Party, it is not a policy on which the PAP has a monopoly. A spokesman for the opposition Singapore Democratic Alliance, Edmund Ng, has said: For criminals, caning serves as a deterrent . I would not change a winning formula ( The New Paper . 13 April 2006). The other opposition party represented in Parliament, the Workers Party , while hostile to very long terms of imprisonment and mandatory sentences, also does not oppose JCP, at any rate for crimes of violence. In Malaysia, though, there is more opposition from academics, human rights activists and lawyers. In particular the countrys Bar Council, representing lawyers, unanimously passed a resolution in 2007 described whipping as cruel, inhumane and degrading, and called for its abolition, especially for illegal immigrants. However, there is no sign that the present government shares this view. In addition, in 2007 there was a proposal by the Women, Family and Community Development Ministry to abolish the judicial caning of juveniles in Malaysia. No such change in the law has yet been reported. SOME DIFFERENCES BETWEEN SINGAPORE AND MALAYSIA Terminology: In Singapore, the punishment is nowadays always described, both in legislation and in press reports, as caning. In Malaysia the term caning is often used informally, and the phrases strokes of the cane and strokes of the rotan are used interchangeably, but officially the correct term is whipping, following traditional British legislative terminology. Note: when Malaysian newspapers report that someone is to be whipped three times, it just means three strokes of the cane on a single occasion. In former British times, this would have meant three different caning sessions (in the 19th century, some UK legislation stipulated that an offender might be once, twice or thrice privately whipped, meaning an unspecified number of strokes on each of up to three separate occasions), but this usage has been lost sight of. Modus operandi: In Singapore and Brunei the culprit must bend over for his caning, with his feet together. In Malaysia he stands upright at the frame with his legs apart. Implements: The Malaysian cane is marginally smaller than the Singaporean one. This does not seem to make any discernible difference, if first-person accounts from the two jurisdictions are compared. Also, Malaysia uses a smaller cane for white-collar offenders -- those convicted of non-violent financial crimes such as embezzlement. There are no reports of any such distinction being made in Singapore. Juveniles: In Singapore, only the High Court may order the caning of boys under 16. In Malaysia local courts may do so. Islamic law: Malaysia has a parallel judicial system covering some sins that are offences only when committed by Moslems, who constitute about 60 of the population nationally. In theory some of these may attract caning sentences, though this happens rarely. When it does, the smaller cane is used and the mode of infliction is much less severe. Singapore, only about 15 of whose population are Moslems, has no such system. Main sources in addition to those mentioned in the text: Director of Prisons press conference, September 1974 (reported in numerous papers, e. g. Strokes of Tradition, The Australian . 19 September 1974, and Singapore Still Flogs Felons, unidentified US newspaper, 26 September 1974) Amnesty International Briefing on Singapore, January 1978 Singapore Lawmen Dont Spare the Rod Or Spoil the Criminal, Wall Street Journal . 6 July 1982 Amnesty International Bulletin, 1989 10 years on, and we still feel the pain, The New Paper . Singapore, 10 September 1991 Caning horror show deters the hooligans, Daily Telegraph . London, 23 April 1994 Prisons Department sets the facts straight on caning, Sunday Times . Singapore, 1 May 1994 An Appeal to Use the Rod Sparingly: A Dispassionate Analysis of the Use of Caning in Singapore, by Mark Lim Fung Chian, in Singapore Law Review . Vol. 15, 1994 The Caning of Michael Fay: The Inside Story by a Singaporean. by Gopal Baratham, KRP Publications, Singapore, 1994 Links to more legalofficial documents on Singapore JCP: Country files: Judicial CP in Singapore External links to other documents on aspects of Singapores JCP regime: Web links: Judicial CP Numerous reports of Singapore court sentences involving caning: Singapore - Judicial in The Archive for each year or group of yearsCapitalVia receives Innovation and Excellence Awards, 2015 in Excellence in Financial Markets Research and consulting by Corporate Live Wire, a UK based leading Publishing House CapitalVia organizes, its first quarterly RNR in 2015, on 11Th April, 2015 to recognize and reward the performers of last quarter. CVians se compromete a ajudar a preservar a Terra no dia da Terra, plantar árvores e espalhar a mensagem em Indore. A CapitalVia organiza seu terceiro programa de educação para clientes CapitalVia em Singapura no tema: negociação disciplinada no mercado de ações. CapitalVia anunciou segunda fase do investimento na Índia Ideathon CapitalVia Global Research lança uma aplicação para a empresa de pesquisa Intra-Day CapitalVia Global adquire a empresa de soluções digitais Valueleaf CapitalVia premiou empresário do ano Inovação em serviços financeiros 2013 Financial Sector Espera crescimento de suplementos CapitalVia amplie sua presença em 15 cidades Na Índia, a CapitalVia organiza Customer Education Meet em Jaipur CapitalVia ganha Prêmio Deloitte ET-NOW Prêmios Líderes de Amanhã 2012
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