THIS DAY IN ST. LOUIS HISTORY...



Remember this famous St. Louis native? 10 years ago today, 18 year old Michael Fay, got caned by Singapore authorities for $2200 of vandalism he had caused in september of 1993. LOOKS LIKE A SLU FRAT GUY TO ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Anyway, here is an article about it if anyone is interested:


A Caning in Singapore Stirs Up a Fierce Debate About Crime and Punishment
By Alejandro Reyes

At Queenstown Remand Prison, Gurkha guards in smartly angled broad-brimmed hats stand watch in corner towers. The prison's severe walls are painted a gentle cream and powder blue. At the front gate, uniformed children merrily skip off passing school buses and into the compound. Prison officers' families live in flats on the premises. This jail isn't for hardened criminals.

Since March 31, Queenstown has housed Michael Peter Fay, an American teenager who has arguably become Singapore's most famous -- or notorious -- prison inmate. After pleading guilty to vandalism charges, the 18-year-old student was sentenced March 3 to four months in jail, a $2,200 fine -- and six strokes of the cane. That Singapore flogs vandals was not news. But that the island republic would scourge an American was. The story made headlines worldwide, especially after U.S. President Bill Clinton asked the Singapore government to waive the caning, which he called "excessive."


After losing an appeal against his sentence, Fay asked Singapore's President Ong Teng Cheong for clemency. On May 4, the government announced that the Cabinet had recommended to Ong that Fay's caning be reduced to four strokes as a gesture of respect for the American president. Ong sent a letter conveying the decision to Fay's counsel, Ramanathan Palakrishnan. It was not until about noon the next day that the lanky lawyer went to the prison with two assistants to give his client the news. The legal team was inside for more than an hour. "He was happy that the clemency was considered," said Palakrishnan glumly as reporters swarmed around him afterwards. "He thanked his family and asked them to pray for him. He's nervous." Added lawyer Dominic Nagulendran: "He said to thank President Clinton and President Ong. He is resigned to the caning." Would he be caned tomorrow, an American reporter from Fox TV shouted. "I don't think so," replied Palakrishnan. "But it must be as soon as possible."

Indeed it was. Soon after his lawyers left him, Michael Fay was informed that his caning sentence was to be carried out that afternoon. He was one of ten prisoners flogged that day. In the caning room he was stripped naked. He bent over and his arms and legs were fastened to an H-shaped trestle by straps. A protective covering was placed over his kidneys. A prison official, a medical officer and the caner were the only ones present. The caner wound up and, using his full body weight, struck with the 13mm-thick rattan rod, which had been soaked overnight to prevent it from splitting. Each stroke on Fay's exposed buttocks came about half a minute apart. It was over in minutes. After the fourth and final stroke, say Singapore officials, Fay shook hands with his caner and insisted on walking back to his cell unaided. He wanted to act like a man.

[A man? A man indeed! A man that got spanked by a bunch of Singaporeans!!!!!!!!!]

Posted: Wed - May 5, 2004 at 11:31 AM        

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