Days before he was hanged in Singapore for smuggling one kilogram of cannabis, Tangaraju Suppiah asked prison authorities for his favourite dishes: Chicken rice, nasi biryani, ice cream soda, and Milo-flavoured sweets.
Kokila Annamalai, a Singapore-based rights activist representing the family, confirmed Suppiah had been executed by hanging after the president had rejected pleas for clemency on the eve of the execution.
In a moving post shared before the execution, Annamalai confirmed that the 46-year-old Indian-origin man got to taste some of his favourite food items after nine years. Prison authorities, however, were not able to find the Milo-flavoured sweets he had requested.
“Death row prisoners who get an execution notice are given a small amount of money to buy a treat for the others on death row, in the week leading up to their execution,” Annamalai said. Tangaraju used his allowance to buy fish burgers, curry puffs and soft drinks for others death-row prisoners.
Tangaraju was convicted in 2017 of "abetting by engaging in a conspiracy to traffic" 1,017.9 grams of cannabis, twice the minimum volume required for a death sentence in Singapore.
He was sentenced to death in 2018 with the Court of Appeal later upholding the decision, but rights groups have claimed there were several problems with the case. Singapore went ahead with the execution despite international human rights groups decrying "many flaws" in the case.
Tangaraju tasted his favourite dishes after nearly a decade, but in the weeks leading up to his execution, he had been having only one meal a day in an effort to reduce weight, according to Annamalai.
“Maybe if I'm heavier, it'll take longer for me to go?” he wondered to a childhood friend during a visit.
(With inputs from agencies)
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