As the family of executed drug courier Van Nguyen attend a funeral service in Singapore, Sydney Anglicans with a first-hand knowledge of the island-nation's legal system offer prayers for their peace.
The Rev Mee Ping Lau, rector of St Paul's, Kogarah but originally from Singapore has been keeping in close contact with Singaporean friends here and overseas in the lead up to this morning's dawn execution.
"It's a very sad thing to happen that he has to pay this price," he says.
But Mr Lau is strongly encouraged by media reports that the 25 year old Melbourne man made a heart-felt commitment to God before his death.
"There is a very significant difference between the Christian and the non-Christian facing execution," he says.
"When someone comes to faith through the process of facing execution, they have a new confidence in God and do not run away but face the reality of paying the price for their crimes."
However the sentence of death by hanging imposed by the Singaporean courts for Mr Nguyen's trafficking offence continues to cause controversy amongst Australians.
Archbishop Peter Jensen has explained to ABC radio the tension Christians must hold between supporting the judicial system while calling for just punishments.
In the case of Mr Nguyen, the question has to be asked: did the punishment fit the crime?
“Christians are always sensitive to this because of the death of Jesus by capital punishment," Dr Jensen says.
"In this particular case the disproportionate nature of the justice applied to this crime is of great concern to us."
Dr Andrew Cameron, a lecturer in Christian Thought at Moore Theological College, says Mr Nguyen's execution highlights a tension at the heart of the Christian perspective that sees all human beings as made in the image of God.
"People matter so much that to kill one of us seems to demand no less than that the life of the killer be forfeit," he says.
"Yet to take the life of the killer seems to undermine the very preciousness of humanity that we seek to protect."
Dr Cameron says it is important to acknowledge that God has given the duty of justice in Singapore to its government.
But at the same time observers from other cultures have the duty to question the suitability, consistency and success of practices like capital punishment.
"I cannot say that Nguyen Tuong Van's execution is wrong because all capital punishment is wrong," Dr Cameron says.
"There may be times and places where that kind of reply to criminality is needed. But I suspect that Singapore is not such a place."
Dr Cameron has written a detailed briefing on the challenging questions Christians face at such a time, titled Nguyen Tuong Van and punishment by death.
As a native of Singapore, the rector of Kogarah has some sympathies with that nation's struggle against an extensive Asian drug trade.
"We believe if someone is prepared to commit a crime, they need to be prepared to pay the price. As Singaporeans we want security for the country and for our lives, so there are certain rules and regulations in place," Mr Lau says.
But his sympathies for Van Nguyen's family will be guiding his prayers this weekend.
"We feel strongly for his family having to go through this very difficult experience," he says.
PHOTO: AAP
