Story of a boy
Rachel Zeng
On Sunday, 6 December 2009, a group of Singaporeans gathered at Speakers’ Corner to express their concern for Yong Vui Kong, a 21 year old Malaysian who is sitting on death row, and to demonstrate compassion for him.
The simple event, which was planned over the weekend, was to have pictures taken of Singaporeans who cared for Yong Vui Kong and to have them presented to his family as a sign of moral support.
People started arriving as early as 3.30pm. Because some were caught in traffic, the photo-taking started at 4.40pm, instead of 4pm as originally planned.
The 40 attendees, which included families with children, held photographs of Yong Vui Kong that were originally taken with his mother during her birthday almost three years ago – two days before he was arrested and subsequently sentenced to death for drug trafficking. Some of the participants on Sunday held cards which said, “Vui Kong, we care”. A banner with family pictures of Vui Kong was also created by the organisers. There were no speeches made at the event.
After the photo taking session, the organisers appealed for donations to help Vui Kong’s family during their stay in Singapore for his court hearings. The collection was later handed over to the elder brother of Yong Vui Kong, who expressed that he was touched by the gesture and the show of concern.
Yong Vui Kong’s appeal will be heard this coming Tuesday (8 December) in the Court of Appeal at 10 am.
Read also Rachel’s blog for more of the day’s event.
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