For the first time in two years since his incarceration, Malaysian prisoner Yong Vui Kong has met a representative from the Malaysian High Commissioner's office at Singapore's Changi prison yesterday morning.

Malaysia has largely kept silent on his sentence and pending execution for a drug trafficking offence in 2007 when he was barely 19.

But a ray of hope for Yong flickered yesterday when his Singaporean lawyer M. Ravi received a telephone call from the commissioner's office, requesting an "urgent" meeting regarding the case.

NONE Ravi, ( right ) an established human rights lawyer in Singapore, told Malaysiakini that Commissioner Md Hussin Nayan wanted a briefing on the latest developments of the case.

He confirmed that a representative from the Malaysian High Commission did visit Yong.

 "I am hopeful that Malaysia would intervene in this matter.

"I will explain in detail about the legal consequences of this case, and the clemency petition to commute Yong's death sentence," said the lawyer, who is representing Yong on a pro-bono basis.

Flawed legal process

"The crux of the issue is that a Malaysian citizen has been denied clemency, and the whole process is flawed and illegal," he said.

Ravi was referring to a senior law officer's comment that it is not the attorney-general but the cabinet which makes a decision on this matter.  

The clemency petition was rejected by Singapore President SR Nathan.

However, Yong's scheduled hanging in December last year was delayed when his lawyer applied for a stay of execution.

Ravi thanked Malaysiakini for highlighting the issue as a series of recent articles had sparked the interest of the Malaysian government and Singapore's online media.

"I am prepared to give my fullest cooperation to the Malaysian government to act in the rightful manner and best interest of my client," he said.

Yesterday, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Nazri

Abdul Aziz ruffled the legal community's feathers when he said he was unaware of Yong's case, and since it happened in Singapore, Malaysia will not interfere in its legal process.

Lawyers working on the death penalty issue and Yong's case had expressed ' shock and astonishment' that Nazri, the de facto law minister, could wash his hands of the matter.

High Comm reps meet lawyer

However, Param Curamasamy, former UN special rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers said Nazri was in the right.

According to Param, this was because Malaysia and Singapore were both members of Asean, which had a pact not to interfere in each other's internal affairs.

Drug trafficking carries a mandatory death sentence  in both Malaysia and Singapore.

Meanwhile, representatives from the Malaysian High Commission in Singapore have assured Ravi that they will pursuee Yong’s case with the Foreign Affairs Ministry.

Second secretaries from the Consular Office in Jervois Road – Juraidah Abd Jamil and Rohani Hussain - met the Ravi this morning.

The meeting lasted for about an hour, after which the two representatives told Ravi that they will do their best to bring the case to the attention of the Malaysian government.

“I was also told that the office of the law minister (Nazri Abdul Aziz) will be in contact with me when I am in Kuala Lumpur next week,” he added.

The representatives were not available for comment despite repeated calls, emails and text messages.