The Malaysian government is planning to write a letter to the Singapore president Halimah Yacob to plead for clemency on behalf of one of its citizens who will be hanged for his crimes committed in 2010.

The plea for clemency is to commute the death sentence of the Malaysian, who carried out a series of robberies in Singapore in May 2010, leading to one death and three serious injuries.

Malaysian Minister in the Prime Minister's Department, Liew Vui Keong, said as per The Star:

"We will continue to send our representation protest on this particular issue... We will write to the Singapore president."

Parang wielder

The Malaysian in question is Michael Anak Garing from Sarawak, who is scheduled to be executed on Friday, March 22, Malaysia media The Star reported.

His family was informed of his death sentence eight days before it is going to take place.

Malaysia prime minister Mahathir Mohamad has waded into the discussion.

He said Malaysia will try to save the Sarawakian as "many believe that the death penalty is excessive and hopes that Singapore feels the same way too".

He was speaking to reporters during a press conference in the Parliament lobby on Wednesday, March 20, 2019.

Severely injured three victims and killed a fourth in 2010

Michael, together three others, went on a robbery spree from May 29 to 30, 2010.

Four men were robbed and attacked in the vicinity of Kallang.

Three of the victims were severely injured, while a fourth victim, 41-year-old construction worker Shanmuganathan Dillidurai, died.

The dead victim's injuries consisted of a fractured skull, a severed left hand, a slash wound across his neck and a back wound so deep that his shoulder blade was cracked.

Michael, 28, who had wielded the murder weapon, a 58cm-long parang, was given the death penalty, while Tony Imba, 39, an accomplice, was sentenced to life imprisonment and 24 strokes of the cane.

Both men were convicted of murder in 2014 by the Singapore High Court, with Michael subsequently sentenced to death and his partner, Imba, sentenced to life imprisonment, on April 20, 2015.

Michael's death sentence was because he was found responsible for inflicting the lethal wounds on Shanmuganathan -- a fact that he attempted to contest in his appeal to the Singapore Court of Appeal in 2017.

However, the appeal was rejected.

Malaysian minister acknowledges that previous requests have not worked

In elaborating on his reply that Malaysia would write to Singapore's president, Liew acknowledged that previous representation to Singapore had not resulted in a change in stance.

Liew was quoted as stating:

"... the Singapore government (has) taken the stance that they have laws to comply with and we have to respect their decision.

It will be at the mercy of the Singapore president whether to commute the death sentence or not."

Liew was likely referencing the case of Malaysian Prabu N. Pathmanathan, who was executed in Singapore on Oct. 26, 2018, for drug trafficking.

New Straits Times reported that in Prabu's case, the Malaysian Foreign Ministry had appealed to Singapore for leniency on humanitarian grounds.

Malaysia had urged Singapore to commute Prabu's death sentence to life imprisonment instead.

Amnesty International sides with Malaysia, calls for execution to be halted

Separately, Amnesty International is calling for Singapore to halt Michael's execution.

Rachel Chhoa-Howard, the Singapore Researcher at Amnesty International said, as per NST:

"Once again, Singapore threatens to inflict the kind of cruelty it claims to oppose. No matter how heinous the crime, the death penalty is a degrading and inhuman punishment. We denounce its use in all circumstances".

She further stated:

"The Singaporean authorities must immediately halt their plans to carry out this callous execution".

About the robberies

Micheal was part of a gang of four Sarawak natives who carried out four violent robberies from the late night of May 29, 2010 to the early hours of the next day in Kallang.

The four were working in Singapore as construction workers.

Their first two victims were construction worker Sandeep Singh, 24, and full-time national serviceman Ang Jun Heng, 19. They were kicked, punched and slashed with a parang.

Ang had four fingers severed as a result of the attack and was left for dead.

A third victim, Indian national Egan Karuppaiah, 43, had both arms almost hacked to the bone.

Their final victim was Shanmuganathan Dillidurai, 41, who was knocked off his bicycle along Kallang Road. He was slashed repeatedly and died after sustaining a fractured skull and a severed jugular vein, among other serious injuries.

One of the robbers, Hairee Anak Landak, 28, was sentenced to 33 years’ jail and 24 strokes of the cane in January 2013, after he pleaded guilty to armed robbery with grievous hurt.

The fourth robber, Donny Meluda, also 28, who was previously at large, was caught in January 2017, and given the same sentence as Landak in November 2018.

Top image from Singapore Police Force

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