IPOH – Nagaenthran K. Dharmalingam’s laughter, once filling every nook of his family home in Tg Rambutan here, is forever silenced and replaced with cries of his family and friends.
They could not hold back their tears as his coffin was brought out of a white hearse that arrived here from Singapore at midnight.
After exhausting every avenue of appeal, Nagaenthran was executed in Changi Prison yesterday at dawn – 11 years after being on death row after being sentenced for drug-related charges.
The air was overwhelmingly heavy, filled with emotions, grievances and sorrows as individuals believed to be Nagaenthran’s relatives and neighbours started arriving to pay their last respects although it was past 1.30am.
Speaking to The Vibes, Nagaenthran’s eldest sister Sarmila Dharmalingam admitted that it is heartbreaking to see her brother finally home after more than a decade as a dead man.
“We really cannot take it that Nagaen is back home like this. I’m not relieved, instead, I feel so sad because he is not alive,” the 36-year-old said.
Sarmila said her mother, Panchalai Supermaniam, has been crying since yesterday morning and is devastated beyond words.
The eldest of four siblings revealed that Panchalai felt light-headed and passed out before the arrival of Nagaenthran’s body.
“The funeral is on Friday, so she (Panchalai) needs to rest to greet relatives who turn up.”
Sarmila said it is best that politicians or lawmakers refrain from attending the wake, saying “they all come for publicity".
“We don’t need their help. We don’t want any politicians to come. We have struggled for years but no one came to help us.
“With donations from Singaporeans, we have funds to manage everything.”
Nagaenthran, who was arrested in 2009 for trafficking 42.72g of heroin into neighbouring Singapore was certified during his trial to have an IQ of 69.
However, the trial judge ruled that he was on the borderline of having a functional intellect and the court concluded that he was aware he was committing a crime. – The Vibes, April 28, 2022
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