World Day Against the Death Penalty: Too many Troy Davises

People around the world and in Taiwan will be celebrating the 9th World Day against the Death Penalty on 10 October by calling on governments still using the death penalty to stop executions and join the global trend toward abolition.

Some people will be carrying on the fight in the name of Troy Davis who, in spite of worldwide campaigns and support, was executed in the United States on 21 September 2011. In a conversation with Amnesty International shortly before his death, he reminded us “the struggle for justice doesn’t end with me. This struggle is for all the Troy Davises who came before me and all the ones who will come after me.”

Taiwan's resumption of executions runs counter to the 

global trend ©Amnesty International

Taiwan’s Chiou Ho-shun may be one of these Troy Davises. Like Troy, he has spent more than 20 years on death row. Like Troy, there is also doubt in the case against him.

Troy Davis was sentenced to death in 1991 for the murder of off-duty police officer Mark Allen MacPhail in Savannah, Georgia. The case against him primarily rested on witness testimony. Since his 1991 trial, seven of key nine witnesses recanted or changed their testimony, some alleging police coercion.

Chiou Ho-shun may not have the public profile of Troy Davis but his case is no less significant.  He and his co-defendants say that they were held incommunicado for the first four months of their detention and they were tortured to make them confess to the kidnapping and killing of Lu Cheng and the murder of Ko Hung Yu-Lan. They later retracted their confessions.

In 1994, after an official investigation, two public prosecutors and 10 police officers handling the case were convicted of extracting confessions through torture.

The death penalty is irrevocable. Taiwan knows this all too well. In February this year President Ma Ying-jeou apologized for the execution of an innocent man in 1997, former air force private Chiang Kuo-ching.

More countries realize every year that the only way to ensure mistakes like this are not made is to abolish the penalty. 139 countries have abolished the death penalty in law or in practice. Of the remaining 58 retentionist countries, only 23 executed in 2010.

In 2010 more states than ever before voted at the UN in favour of a worldwide moratorium on executions. And in 2011, in the United States, Illinois became the 16th state to abolish the death penalty.

In Taiwan the four executions in 2010 and the five in 2011, stand in stark, disturbing contrast to the rising tide of world opinion in favour of abolition.

Countries that insist on using the death penalty continue to claim that they use it only in accordance with international law. But most of their actions blatantly contradict these claims.

It is often imposed after unfair trials and based on confessions extracted through torture. It is often used against political opponents, poor people, and other marginalized groups. It is sometimes even used against people who allegedly committed crimes when they were under 18 or who have significant mental impairments.

Worryingly, death sentences are handed down for acts such as fraud, sorcery, apostasy, drug-related offences or sexual relations between consenting adults, which fall far short of the legal threshold of ‘most serious’ crimes. In just the last year, death sentences were imposed for drug-related offences in China, Iran, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Yemen.

Taiwan also acts contrary to international law as it provides no procedure that would allow people under sentence of death to seek pardon or commutation of the sentence – a right recognized by International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which Taiwan has legally committed to implement.

Taiwan was once considered a leader in the move to abolish the death penalty in Asia, but the recent executions are a step backwards. If Taiwan is really committed to ending executions, it should start by commuting the death sentences of all people currently threatened with execution.

The struggle for abolition does continue, in the name of Troy Davis, in the name of Chiang Kuo-ching and in the name of Chiou Ho-Shun and all others facing execution around the world.

Source: Amnesty International

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'3D Sex & Zen: Extreme Ecstasy' Makes the Cut for Singapore

HONG KONG -- The makers of 3D Sex and Zen: Extreme Ecstasy are presenting Singapore with a heavily self-censored release with more than 18 minutes of the completed film cut, executive producer Stephen Shiu Jr. told The Hollywood Reporter. The film is repped by Shiu’s own One Dollar Distribution at Filmart.

Obliging the demand for the Singapore distributor to follow the strict censorship and conservative culture in there, executive producer Shiu and director Christopher Sun have sliced off scenes of group sex, oral sex, sadomasochism, and those linking religion and sex to assemble a tamer, 110-minute version for the audience aged 21 or above in the territory.

“We have to trim the major parts of a scene of a female character seducing a monk,” said Shiu, adding “no physical contact is allowed between a woman and a person in a religious order. We’re told that any portrayal of religion and portrayal of sex must be separate.” The same version will be released in India.

Three minutes of footage depicting group sex has been left on the cutting floor for the South Korean edition.

The film has also captured the attention of the rest of the world.

The $3 million 3D erotica promises to push the boundaries of public decency and sensory stimulation with “edge of the bed” action in stereoscopic 3D. Rights have been sold to Singapore, India, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, Italy, France, Peru, and Russia. The enthusiastic international demand serves as compensation for not having the lucrative Chinese market – the filmmakers had ruled out any possibility of bringing the film into China from the outset.

The Hong Kong theatrical version of the period sex romp is set and approved for release on April 14 at 118 minutes, but a full 129-minute director’s cut has been made. The producers will decide whether to release it in Hong Kong cinemas depending on public demand and local censors, or on DVD; European distributors can choose between the two versions. Advance tickets to the film in Hong Kong went on sale in mid-March, with more than 5,000 tickets already sold in Hong Kong; Shui said he has received orders of up to 100,000 tickets from Chinese mainland tourists coming to Hong Kong during the film’s release.

3D Sex and Zen is a reimagining of the 1991 Category III hit Sex and Zen, produced by Shiu’s father Stephen Shiu Sr., which broke records with more than HK$20 million ($2.6 million) at the box office and ushered in an era of Category III erotica in the 1990s. Shiu Sr. produced and wrote the script for the 3D update.

As executive producer, Shui Jr. described the film, in all its versions, as “bolder and more graphic than 9 1⁄2 Weeks, but not to the level of Caligula.” He also believed 3D is the perfect format for erotica: “From the first time I came to know this genre, I’ve hoped I could watch it in 3D.”

The film was shot with RED digital 4K cameras and postproduction was done by Hong Kong’s Digital Magic, which was previously involved in Hong Kong’s first 3D horror film, Universe’s Child’s Eye 3D. The film is now pending approval from IMAX to release as IMAX 3D. Shiu said the company is concerned about the subject matter and genre, which has never been associated with IMAX before.

Originally touted as the world’s first stereoscopic 3D erotica at its announcement in January 2009, 3D Sex and Zen was beaten to the screen by South Korea’s Natali from director Joo Kyung-jung. That film was announced in June 2010, filmed from last May through September, and released last October. Shiu was unreserved in his fury for being pre-empted: “I think that is despicable behavior. The makers of Natali rushed their production to steal our thunder. But at the end, the audience voted with their feet. That film was a failure everywhere it was released.”

Source: The Hollywood Reporter

Related Story: 3D Sex and Zen: Extreme Ecstasy beat Avatar and Lust

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3D Sex and Zen: Extreme Ecstasy beat Avatar and Lust

HONG KONG – 3D Sex and Zen: Extreme Ecstasy beat Avatar and Lust, Caution as it smashed records as the highest 3D debut in Hong Kong and reclaimed its crown as the highest-grossing Category III film opening.

The locally produced 3D erotica raked in HK$2.79 million ($360,000) on its first day, according to the Hong Kong Motion Pictures Industry Association. The film was touted as the world’s first stereoscopic 3D softcore porn before the honor was usurped by South Korea’s Natali, released last year. The opening box office result of 3D Sex and Zen trumped James Cameron’s 3D extravaganza Avatar’s HK$2.5 million opening gross in 2009, and more than doubled the HK$1.2 million opening of Lust, Caution.

The latter triumph was particularly sweet for the producers of 3D Sex and Zen, as previously, Lust, Caution broke the record held for 17 years as the highest-grossing Category III, or adults-only, Chinese-language film with sexual content, pushing out the original 1991 Sex and Zen, also from the new version’s producer Stephen Shiu Sr. Ang Lee’s 2007 spy thriller grossed HK$49 million to become the top Category III film of all time in Hong Kong, overtaking Sex and Zen’s HK$20 million, while Avatar eventually grossed over HK$180 million, the top-grossing film of all time in the territory, in 3D or otherwise.

Producers had set aside “lady’s house” women-only screenings of the film on two screens, which proved popular as well and were sold out. But the film’s box office earning power should have legs for the upcoming May 1 Chinese holiday, as Chinese tourists to Hong Kong are expected to squeeze in a screening of the 3D erotic film during their visit to Hong Kong. Shiu Sr. made the film knowing it wouldn’t pass the censors in China. Chinese tourists also flocked to see the full version of Lust, Caution in Hong Kong, which boosted the general gross of the film here.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter

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Singapore

Singapore Population: 4,608,167

Background

Singapore was founded as a British trading colony in 1819. It joined the Malaysian Federation in 1963 but separated two years later and became independent. Singapore subsequently became one of the world's most prosperous countries with strong international trading links (its port is one of the world's busiest in terms of tonnage handled) and with per capita GDP equal to that of the leading nations of Western Europe.

Map data ©2009 Europa Technologies - Terms of Use

Geography
Focal point for Southeast Asian sea routes.
Location:	Southeastern Asia, islands between Malaysia and Indonesia
Geographic coordinates:	1 22 N, 103 48 E
Area:	total: 692.7 sq km land: 682.7 sq km water: 10 sq kmSize comparison: slightly more than 3.5 times the size of Washington, DC
Land Boundaries:	0 km
Coastline:	193 km
Maritime claims:	territorial sea: 3 nm exclusive fishing zone: within and beyond territorial sea, as defined in treaties and practice
Climate:	tropical; hot, humid, rainy; two distinct monsoon seasons - Northeastern monsoon (December to March) and Southwestern monsoon (June to September); inter-monsoon - frequent afternoon and early evening thunderstorms
Terrain:	lowland; gently undulating central plateau contains water catchment area and nature preserve
Elevation extremes:	lowest point: Singapore Strait 0 m highest point: Bukit Timah 166 m
Natural resources:	fish, deepwater ports
Land use:	arable land: 1.47% permanent crops: 1.47% other: 97.06% (2005)
Irrigated land:	NA
Natural hazards:	NA
Current Environment Issues:	industrial pollution; limited natural fresh water resources; limited land availability presents waste disposal problems; seasonal smoke/haze resulting from forest fires in Indonesia
International Environment Agreements:	party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
People
Population:	4,608,167 (July 2008 est.)
Age structure:	0-14 years: 14.8% (male 353,333/female 329,005) 15-64 years: 76.5% (male 1,717,357/female 1,809,462) 65 years and over: 8.7% (male 177,378/female 221,632) (2008 est.)
Median age:	total: 38.4 years male: 38 years female: 38.8 years (2008 est.)
Population growth rate:	1.135% (2008 est.)
Birth rate:	8.99 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Death rate:	4.53 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Net migration rate:	6.88 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Sex ratio:	at birth: 1.08 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.07 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.8 male(s)/female total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2008 est.)
Infant mortality rate:	total: 2.3 deaths/1,000 live births male: 2.51 deaths/1,000 live births female: 2.08 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:	total population: 81.89 years male: 79.29 years female: 84.68 years (2008 est.)
Total fertility rate:	1.08 children born/woman (2008 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:	0.2% (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:	4,100 (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:	fewer than 200 (2003 est.)
Nationality:	noun: Singaporean(s) adjective: Singapore
Ethnic groups:	Chinese 76.8%, Malay 13.9%, Indian 7.9%, other 1.4% (2000 census)
Religions:	Buddhist 42.5%, Muslim 14.9%, Taoist 8.5%, Hindu 4%, Catholic 4.8%, other Christian 9.8%, other 0.7%, none 14.8% (2000 census)
Languages:	Mandarin 35%, English 23%, Malay 14.1%, Hokkien 11.4%, Cantonese 5.7%, Teochew 4.9%, Tamil 3.2%, other Chinese dialects 1.8%, other 0.9% (2000 census)
Literacy:	definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 92.5% male: 96.6% female: 88.6% (2000 census)
Government
Country name:	conventional long form: Republic of Singapore conventional short form: Singapore local long form: Republic of Singapore local short form: Singapore
Government type:	parliamentary republic
Capital:	name: Singapore geographic coordinates: 1 17 N, 103 51 E time difference: UTC+8 (13 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Administrative divisions:	none
Independence:	9 August 1965 (from Malaysian Federation)
National holiday:	National Day, 9 August (1965)
Constitution:	3 June 1959; amended 1965 (based on preindependence State of Singapore Constitution)
Legal system:	based on English common law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:	21 years of age; universal and compulsory
Executive branch:	chief of state: President S R NATHAN (since 1 September 1999) note: uses S R NATHAN but his full name and the one used in formal communications is Sellapan RAMANATHAN head of government: Prime Minister LEE Hsien Loong (since 12 August 2004); Senior Minister GOH Chok Tong (since 12 August 2004); Minister Mentor LEE Kuan Yew (since 12 August 2004); Deputy Prime Ministers Shunmugam JAYAKUMAR (since 12 August 2004) and WONG Kan Seng (since 1 September 2005) cabinet: appointed by president, responsible to parliament elections: president elected by popular vote for six-year term; appointed on 17 August 2005 (next election to be held by August 2011); following legislative elections, leader of majority party or leader of majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by president; deputy prime ministers appointed by president election results: Sellapan Rama (S R) NATHAN appointed president in August 2005 after Presidential Elections Committee disqualified three other would-be candidates; scheduled election not held
Legislative branch:	unicameral Parliament (84 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms); note - in addition, there are up to nine nominated members; up to three losing opposition candidates who came closest to winning seats may be appointed as "nonconstituency" members elections: last held on 6 May 2006 (next to be held by 2011) election results: percent of vote by party - PAP 66.6%, WP 16.3%, SDA 13%, SDP 4.1%; seats by party - PAP 82, WP 1, SDA 1
Judicial branch:	Supreme Court (chief justice is appointed by the president with the advice of the prime minister, other judges are appointed by the president with the advice of the chief justice); Court of Appeals
Political parties and leaders:	People's Action Party or PAP [LEE Hsien Loong]; Singapore Democratic Alliance or SDA [CHIAM See Tong]; Singapore Democratic Party or SDP [CHEE Soon Juan]; Workers' Party or WP [Sylvia LIM Swee Lian] note: SDA includes Singapore Justice Party or SJP, Singapore National Malay Organization or PKMS, Singapore People's Party or SPP
Political pressure groups and leaders:	UNFEM [Saleeman ISMAIL] other: investment companies; news organizations
International organization participation:	ADB, APEC, APT, ARF, ASEAN, BIS, C, CP, EAS, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNMIT, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US:	chief of mission: Ambassador CHAN Heng Chee chancery: 3501 International Place NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 537-3100 FAX: [1] (202) 537-0876 consulate(s) general: San Francisco consulate(s): New York
Diplomatic representation from the US:	chief of mission: Ambassador Patricia L. HERBOLD embassy: 27 Napier Road, Singapore 258508 mailing address: FPO AP 96507-0001 telephone: [65] 6476-9100 FAX: [65] 6476-9340
Economy
Singapore has a highly developed and successful free-market economy. It enjoys a remarkably open and corruption-free environment, stable prices, and a per capita GDP equal to that of the four largest West European countries. The economy depends heavily on exports, particularly in consumer electronics and information technology products, and on a growing service sector. Real GDP growth averaged 7% between 2004 and 2007, but dropped to 3% in 2008 as a result of the global financial crisis. The economy contracted in the second and third quarters of 2008, and Prime Minister Lee and other senior officials have dampened expectations for a quick rebound in 2009. Over the longer term, the government hopes to establish a new growth path that will be less vulnerable to global demand cycles, especially for information technology products - it has attracted major investments in pharmaceuticals and medical technology production - and will continue efforts to establish Singapore as Southeast Asia's financial and high-tech hub.
GDP (purchasing power parity):	$244 billion (2008 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate):	$192.8 billion (2008 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:	3% (2008 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):	$52,900 (2008 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:	agriculture: 0% industry: 33.8% services: 66.2% (2007 est.)
Labor force:	2.81 million (2008 est.)
Labor force - by occupation:	manufacturing 21%, construction 5%, transportation and communication 7%, financial, business, and other services 42%, other 25% (2006)
Unemployment rate:	2.3% (2008 est.)
Population below poverty line:	NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share:	lowest 10%: 1.9% highest 10%: 32.8% (1998)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:	52.2 (2005)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):	6.6% (2008 est.)
Investment (gross fixed):	27% of GDP (2008 est.)
Budget:	revenues: $27.7 billion expenditures: $26.22 billion (2008 est.)
Public debt:	92.6% of GDP (2008 est.)
Agriculture - products:
Industries:	electronics, chemicals, financial services, oil drilling equipment, petroleum refining, rubber processing and rubber products, processed food and beverages, ship repair, offshore platform construction, life sciences, entrepot trade
Industrial production growth rate:
Electricity - production:	38.68 billion kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - consumption:	35.13 billion kWh (2006 est.)
Electricity - exports:	0 kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - imports:	0 kWh (2007 est.)
Oil - production:	9,836 bbl/day (2007 est.)
Oil - consumption:	834,600 bbl/day (2006 est.)
Oil - exports:	1.203 million bbl/day (2005)
Oil - imports:	2.003 million bbl/day (2005)
Oil - proved reserves:	0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)
Natural gas - production:	0 cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - consumption:	6.5 billion cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - exports:	0 cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - imports:	6.5 billion cu m note: from Indonesia and Malaysia (2007 est.)
Natural gas - proved reserves:	0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)
Current account balance:	$32.12 billion (2008 est.)
Exports:	$349.5 billion f.o.b. (2008 est.)
Exports - commodities:	machinery and equipment (including electronics), consumer goods, chemicals, mineral fuels
Exports - partners:	Malaysia 12.9%, Hong Kong 10.5%, Indonesia 9.8%, China 9.7%, US 8.9%, Japan 4.8%, Thailand 4.1% (2007)
Imports:	$307.6 billion (2008 est.)
Imports - commodities:	machinery and equipment, mineral fuels, chemicals, foodstuffs
Imports - partners:	Malaysia 13.1%, US 12.5%, China 12.1%, Japan 8.2%, Taiwan 5.9%, Indonesia 5.6%, South Korea 4.9% (2007)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:	$170.1 billion (31 December 2008 est.)
Debt - external:	$25.54 billion (31 December 2008 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:	$225.7 billion (2008 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:	$111.2 billion (2005)
Market value of publicly traded shares:	$353.5 billion (31 December 2007)
Currency (code):	Singapore dollar (SGD)
Exchange rates:	Singapore dollars (SGD) per US dollar - 1.415 (2008 est.), 1.507 (2007), 1.5889 (2006), 1.6644 (2005), 1.6902 (2004)
Fiscal year:	1 April - 31 March
Communications
Telephones in use:	1.859 million (2007)
Cellular Phones in use:	5.619 million (2007)
Telephone system:	general assessment: excellent service domestic: excellent domestic facilities; launched 3G wireless service in February 2005; combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular teledensity is about 165 telephones per 100 persons international: country code - 65; numerous submarine cables provide links throughout Asia, Australia, the Middle East, Europe, and US; satellite earth stations -4; supplemented by VSAT coverage (2007)
Radio broadcast stations:	AM 0, FM 17, shortwave 2 (2003)
Television broadcast stations:	1 (broadcasting on six channels); additional reception of numerous UHF and VHF signals originating in Malaysia and Indonesia (2006)
Internet country code:	.sg
Internet hosts:	837,559 (2008)
Internet users:	3.105 million (2007)
Transportation
Airports:	8 (2007)
Airports (paved runways):	total: 8 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2007)
Pipelines:	gas 139 km; refined products 8 km (2007)
Roadways:	total: 3,262 km paved: 3,262 km (includes 150 km of expressways) (2006)
Merchant marine:	total: 1,292 by type: bulk carrier 167, cargo 87, carrier 5, chemical tanker 209, container 273, liquefied gas 96, petroleum tanker 386, refrigerated cargo 5, roll on/roll off 4, specialized tanker 7, vehicle carrier 53 foreign-owned: 774 (Australia 12, Bangladesh 2, Belgium 8, Chile 6, China 14, Cyprus 1, Denmark 87, France 1, Germany 24, Greece 15, Hong Kong 47, India 13, Indonesia 66, Italy 5, Japan 131, South Korea 3, Malaysia 27, Norway 143, Slovenia 1, Sweden 20, Switzerland 2, Taiwan 72, Thailand 23, UAE 12, UK 17, US 22) registered in other countries: 331 (Australia 1, Bahamas 17, Belize 2, Bolivia 1, Cambodia 4, Cayman Islands 10, Comoros 1, Cyprus 3, Dominica 7, France 2, Honduras 12, Hong Kong 18, Indonesia 27, Isle of Man 1, Kiribati 4, Liberia 32, Malaysia 16, Marshall Islands 18, Mongolia 9, Norway 1, Panama 100, Philippines 1, Saint Kitts and Nevis 1, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 4, Thailand 2, Tuvalu 23, US 12, unknown 2) (2008)
Ports and terminals:	Singapore
Military
Military branches:	Singapore Armed Forces: Army, Navy, Air Force (includes Air Defense) (2008)
Military service age and obligation:	18-21 years of age for male compulsory military service; 16 years of age for volunteers; 2-year conscript service obligation, with a reserve obligation to age 40 (enlisted) or age 50 (officers) (2008)
Manpower available for military service:	males age 16-49: 1,277,862 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:	males age 16-49: 1,038,603 (2008 est.)

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