Alcohol and Drugs History Society

Opium smoking in Straits Settlements (article)

Harumi  Goto-Shibata, "Empire on the Cheap : The Control of Opium Smoking in the Straits Settlements, 1925-1939," Modern Asian Studies 40/1 (2006): 59-80.

'These are beers to match Asian lifestyle and Asian food'

What drink goes well with Malaysian beef rendang, mini octopus and Thai vermicelli salad? How about an ice-cold Traveller's Wheat beer, spiced with tamarind, ginger and a pinch of lemongrass and Chinese orange peel? The surprisingly refreshing brew is the star of a trio of craft beers recently introduced by Archipelago Brewing Co. and brewed specifically to complement the unique flavors of Southeast Asian cuisine. Read more.

Minor technicality

A court has spared a Thai transsexual drug dealer from caning because Singaporean law does not allow women to be sentenced to that punishment, a newspaper reported Friday.

Thai prostitute Mongkon Pusuwan, who underwent a sex change from male to female a decade ago, was instead sentenced on Wednesday to six years in jail after a medical report concluded that she was a woman.

Read more.

Starbucks opens new shop in Singapore to teach autistic children skills

A new Starbucks Coffee shop has been opened by a Singapore autism school to teach its students work and life skills, Channel News Asia reported on Thursday night. Eight autistic children aged between 12 and 15 have been learning how to handle money, serve customers and make sandwiches in the Pathlight Cafe, the first of its kind in the city state.

Read more here.

Aussie to hang for heroin smuggling

A 25-YEAR-OLD Melbourne man who said he smuggled heroin in an effort to pay off his twin brother's debts will within days become the first Australian to be executed in Singapore after a final presidential appeal for clemency was rejected.

Nguyen Tuong Van is expected to be hanged within 10 days, despite pleas for mercy to Singaporean President Sellapan Rama Nathan by John Howard, Governor-General Michael Jeffery and Foreign Minister Alexander Downer.

Nguyen was sentenced to death last year. He had been caught with 396g of heroin strapped to his back and in his hand luggage while in transit at Singapore's Changi airport in December 2002, on his way from Cambodia to Melbourne.

News.com.au reports.

Opium in South-East Asia (article)

Foster, Anne L. “Prohibition as Superiority: Policing Opium in South-East Asia, 1898-1925.” The International History Review 22:2 (2000), 253-273.

Singapore bar has cold climate

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports (15 March 2005) that drinks aren't the only things ice cold at the Eski Bar, a new nightspot in tropical Singapore. The room temperature is so chilly that staff wear heavy coats and ski caps, and patrons get a 10 percent discount if they show up in winter wear. The bar contains a decorated, industrial strength freezer, with the mercury ranging from 28 degrees Fahrenheit to just above zero. The goal is to attract thirsty clientele who need a break from the round-the-clock, sweltering, Southeast Asian heat. Find the full story here.

Australian drug smuggler to hang in Singapore

BBC News reported on 20 March 2004 that a Singapore court sentenced an Australian man to death by hanging after he admitted trying to smuggle 400 grams of heroin. Find the full story here.

Drug Use on the Decline in Singapore

For Today Online, Ansley Ng reports (16 February 2005) that the number of Malay drug abusers has been whittled down dramatically to about a tenth of their numbers in 2002 — thanks in part to concerted community efforts. The problem of drug abuse in Singapore appears to be under control. The number of drug abusers arrested last year was the lowest in 20 years. Find the full story here.