The Times of India
Jun 2008
Daniel P George,TNN
CHENNAI: Two Tamils, one a native of Thanjavur and the other from Ramanathapuram, have been sentenced to death by a Chinese court for narcotics smuggling. Though arrested in separate incidents last year in different provinces, both were sentenced on the same day by a court in Zhuohai.
Family members of Askar Miyan, picked up by Chinese customs on February 22, 2007, on charges of possession and smuggling of a banned substance, have appealed to the ministry of overseas Indian affairs to plead for his death sentence to be commuted to "any kind of jail term".
A communique from the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, available with this newspaper, says, "Askar Miyan and Hussain Mydeen smuggled drugs into China...police checked Askar’s luggage and found 1301 grams of heroin...38 pieces of heroin, about 300.09 grams, were recovered from Mydeen’s stomach at the Armed Police Hospital..."
It’s now learnt that Askar had left India in August 2003 to work in Thailand as a cook. In that period, a man named Sulthan and his son Saleem Khan had approached him, promising him a job in London. Askar had then called his family and asked them to pay Rs 3.5 lakh to Sulthan.
On receiving the payment, Sulthan asked Askar to fly to Cambodia and assured him a safe passage into London via China. "Although Askar soon landed in Cambodia, he was stuck there for two years doing odd jobs and was even tortured by his employers," his brother Khaja Mohammed told TOI.
Eventually, Askar informed his family on February 14, 2007, that he was finally on his way to China. "That was the last call my brother made. After that we do not know what happened," said Khaja.
It was in April 2007 that the family received a letter from Chinese government. Askar’s father immediately faxed it to his younger son employed in Dubai. Khaja took the help of his Chinese colleagues to translate the letter which said his brother had been arrested on charges of drug smuggling.
Khaja said his family had been cheated by Sulthan who may have used his brother to traffic drugs. Although he has visited China to meet his brother, he said his attempts to contact him in prison have failed.
"I’m sure he wasn’t aware of the items concealed in his luggage. We have appealed to the Chinese government to release him on compassionate grounds as the family is poor and our parents are aged."
In the second conviction, a Tamil named Hussain Mydeen was caught on suspicion when he entered Ghuang Zhou province on March 31, 2007. It was his fourth trip in three months into China and he was travelling under a fake name. Hussain has confessed to the Chinese authorities that he worked as a drug peddler.
Jun 2008
Daniel P George,TNN
CHENNAI: Two Tamils, one a native of Thanjavur and the other from Ramanathapuram, have been sentenced to death by a Chinese court for narcotics smuggling. Though arrested in separate incidents last year in different provinces, both were sentenced on the same day by a court in Zhuohai.
Family members of Askar Miyan, picked up by Chinese customs on February 22, 2007, on charges of possession and smuggling of a banned substance, have appealed to the ministry of overseas Indian affairs to plead for his death sentence to be commuted to "any kind of jail term".
A communique from the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, available with this newspaper, says, "Askar Miyan and Hussain Mydeen smuggled drugs into China...police checked Askar’s luggage and found 1301 grams of heroin...38 pieces of heroin, about 300.09 grams, were recovered from Mydeen’s stomach at the Armed Police Hospital..."
It’s now learnt that Askar had left India in August 2003 to work in Thailand as a cook. In that period, a man named Sulthan and his son Saleem Khan had approached him, promising him a job in London. Askar had then called his family and asked them to pay Rs 3.5 lakh to Sulthan.
On receiving the payment, Sulthan asked Askar to fly to Cambodia and assured him a safe passage into London via China. "Although Askar soon landed in Cambodia, he was stuck there for two years doing odd jobs and was even tortured by his employers," his brother Khaja Mohammed told TOI.
Eventually, Askar informed his family on February 14, 2007, that he was finally on his way to China. "That was the last call my brother made. After that we do not know what happened," said Khaja.
It was in April 2007 that the family received a letter from Chinese government. Askar’s father immediately faxed it to his younger son employed in Dubai. Khaja took the help of his Chinese colleagues to translate the letter which said his brother had been arrested on charges of drug smuggling.
Khaja said his family had been cheated by Sulthan who may have used his brother to traffic drugs. Although he has visited China to meet his brother, he said his attempts to contact him in prison have failed.
"I’m sure he wasn’t aware of the items concealed in his luggage. We have appealed to the Chinese government to release him on compassionate grounds as the family is poor and our parents are aged."
In the second conviction, a Tamil named Hussain Mydeen was caught on suspicion when he entered Ghuang Zhou province on March 31, 2007. It was his fourth trip in three months into China and he was travelling under a fake name. Hussain has confessed to the Chinese authorities that he worked as a drug peddler.
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