twin tales

The Sunday Age newspaper had, what I consider, a disgraceful, irresponsible, schmaltzy Page One lead story yesterday.  It showed a picture of twins. Under the headline : “Little twins – one is on death row, the other in the depths of despair.”

And the story said: “The little twins smile happily for the camera, their young lives filled with endless possibilities. Today one of them sits on Death Row, the other is in hiding – filled with despair over the loving brother whose life looks certain to be cut short on the gallows in Singapore.

The baby photo of Nguyen Tuong Van, now 25, and his twin brother Khoa, was released by Nguyen’s lawyers.

What the story and the lawyers haven’t told is that the brother "so filled with despair” hasn’t been to Singapore to see his condemned twin.

What they don’t tell you is that  Nguyen’s brother is a vicious thug and heroin dealer. Months ago I said on the programme: What is the Australian Foreign Affairs Minister, Alexander Downer, doing getting involved in the drug  trafficker’s case in Singapore?

Why were taxpayer dollars being spent to give succour and support – through the Foreign Affairs Department and the Australian High Commission in Singapore to help heroin smuggler Nguyen Tuong Van?

He got caught at Singapore Airport smuggling nearly half a kilo of heroin  from Cambodia en route to Melbourne. He got paid $30,000 for volunteering to be a heroin smuggler. Those drugs were destined for the streets of Melbourne and aimed for the needles in the arms of Aussie kids. Nguyen reportedly did the $30,000 job to help pay legal feels for his twin brother Khoa Dang Nguyen.

I talked to Victorian Attorney General Rob Hulls who also said that the State government supported Downer in trying to get clemency for Nguyen from the Singapore president.

I said then and say again -- I have no sympathy for him. He knew what he was doing. He took the risk and failed –possibly fatally. Every drug dealer knows that in Thailand and Malaysia and Singapore “ Dada means death”. Drug smuggling means death. The signs are in every airport and in every airline magazine warning of the dire consequences if you are caught smuggling heroin.

Downer said “The Government will support Mr. Nguyen’s appeal for clemency and continue to provide consular assistance to him”.

I said months ago: I wonder just how much Downer and Hulls know about the Nguyen twins. I suspect not much.

Did they know that Khoa Dang Nguyen was a heroin dealer?  Did they know that Khoa Nguyen spent nine months in jail for possessing and trafficking heroin?

There have been vague reports of Khoa Nguyen  being charged with “affray” – a quaint, archaic word.

Did Downer and Hulls know what that “affray charge” really meant?

According to my sources there was a violent and bloody racist incident at Reservoir railway station. Six Islander youths were at the station. Nearly twenty young Asian males ran on the platform and assaulted them with chains, machetes and sticks. A 16-year -old boy was allegedly punched and kicked by Khoa Nguyen (reputed in police circles to be a medium level heroin dealer) and two of his mates while the rest of the Asians attacked the remaining Islander boys. 

Nguyen reportedly sliced the back of the teenager’s hamstring to stop him from running. He then held the machete in both hands swinging it at the victim’s neck. The victim put his arm up and the machete chopped part of his bone out. Nguyen took a second swing towards the boy's torso and the victim brought his leg up to protect himself causing similar devastating injuries. 

This teenage victim had life saving surgery and will feel those injuries for the rest of his life. Nguyen was convicted of Riot and intentionally causing serious bodily harm. He was given a three-year suspended sentence. He worked up a five-year legal bill.

As one e-mailer told me: “Next, his twin brother is overseas trying to import heroin to Australia to pay his brother's debt. So this is the summary: man tries to kill boy, man gets charged, man fights legal case, man loses, man goes free, brother goes to another country to import heroin to pay that man's debt, victim never recovers.”

I wonder if Downer and Hulls have any inkling about the calibre of a family they and many others are so piously trying to protect?

Monday, November 14, 2005

©Copyright Derryn Hinch 2005