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Germans charged with vandalism in Singapore face flogging

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Should be no big deal.

We were caned often enough at school and usually put a brave face on it. Sure it hurt, but those who cried were considered wimps.

Not quite sure why the back of the thighs are targeted instead of the buttocks, though. Anyone know?

-1 ( +2 / -3 )

Old enough to know better, they deserve everything they get, hopefully a fine, caning and jail time. I doubt that their Aussie work visas will be valid now that they have, or will have, a criminal record.

5 ( +7 / -2 )

i wonder if the lady cop in the car is gonna do the whipping?

Pay S$800 and get whipped by a cute chick.......sounds like a Japanese SM club ......... but cheaper!

1 ( +4 / -3 )

That cop in the back seat looks more like a pissed off girlfriend giving the evil eye to her boyfriend whom she just caught making out with her best friend from high school. Seriously!

On topic, HELL YEAH!!! These little boys want to play like hoodlums and damage property? Cane them, fine them and throw them in jail to think about their actions. Too bad the rest of the world doesn't treat criminals like criminals.

0 ( +2 / -2 )

@techall, you are hilarious!!

0 ( +0 / -0 )

It will be interesting to watch what the German government does in this case.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

@nandakandamanda,,Should be no big deal.

You really don't want to try it, you will be scar for life, there is a link below. www.corpun.com/singfeat. . 'Are you OK' he asked me as he pressed his stethoscope on my chest and back. "Breathe in" he ordered me. 'OK?' he asked again. I nodded. I could hear some movement behind me then I heard the voice of the Superintendent of prisons ordering the whipping to begin. 'Satu' which in Malay means 'one' he began the slow count [...] I heard the whizzing sound of the cane as it whizzed its way towards my bare buttocks.

"I heard the sharp cracking sound like the sound of a small pistol shot as it landed square, right across the tender flesh of my behind. There was no pain at first, just a warm burning sensation but slowly, as feeling returned, the heat became unbearably painful. It felt as if a red-hot poker had been pressed against my backside. I felt my flesh tingling and then came the throbbing pain.

"That was only the first stroke. I gritted my teeth as I heard the voice of the Superintendent calling out the second number in Malay - 'Dua!' as the second stroke landed, I found myself shivering with the pain. Every nerve in my body seemed to be reacting to the sting. The pain was now excruciating.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

"Caning entails being whipped with a rattan stick on the back of the thigh below the buttocks, which can split the skin and leave lasting scars. "

If waterboarding, which leaves no physical scars, is considered torture, what is this considered then?

0 ( +1 / -1 )

i wonder if the lady cop in the car is gonna do the whipping?

She should be wearing a seatbelt.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

chubbychub, the article says NOT on the buttocks. What are you quoting from?

Anyway, tell me about it. All my schoolmates went through what you describe above, with the cane-wielder taking his time walking back and taking a fresh run-up between strokes. These could land anywhere from the small of the back to the tops of the thighs, and would leave multicolored welts for weeks afterwards. (Except for the ones who never did anything wrong. I was always getting caught for wrongdoing and amassed quite a record.)

It was part of life, and I stick by my earlier statement above. No big deal, if you are in the right frame of mind.

-2 ( +1 / -3 )

Flogging sounds right to me. And them ship them off to Australia, preferrable on wooden seats.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

@nandakandamanda, do look up Singapore www.corpun.com/singfeat.

The cane used to be soaked in horse urine, with the first stroke you will feel like your butt are bursting with pain, please do read up on caning in Malaysia and Singapore.

It is easy to dismiss it, but when you have talk to those who have gotten caned, it is a different world.

Here are some descriptions of the after-effects by men who have been caned.

"My buttocks felt as if they were burning. They swelled to twice their normal size. I could not sit down or lie on my back. I couldn't even walk properly. The skin on (my) buttocks peeled off and (my) backside was completely bruised. It bled on and off for days [...] (I had to) put on an apron for about ten days as I could not wear shorts. (I was) also unable to sit. Immediately after the caning (I had to lie on my) stomach for about four hours. For two hours (I even had) difficulty standing up [...] Going to the toilet was the worst [...] you don't dare to squat because you may tear open the wounds again. So you try to do it half sitting and half squatting" ("Jack" - 20 strokes).

"I stumbled to an adjacent room and plonked myself down. For the next three weeks (I) slept with my face down. (I) could neither eat or sleep properly. For the first week, I couldn't even sleep. The pain was unbearable. It took more than a month for the wounds to dry. My buttocks didn't look normal after that, with the skin drooping and the scars" (Sam - 15 strokes).

"(After the caning) I couldn't sit down or lie on my back for a week. (Going to the toilet) was the worst of all [...] I could not squat or even bend my knees. I got scared every time I got the urge [...] I tried not eating but this did not work. I still had to go and I had to do this standing up, holding my buttocks wide apart. (This lasted) one week then things came back to normal" (Ah Seng - 5 strokes).

"The wounds take between a week and a month to heal. During that time many cannot sit or sleep on their backs and dare not bathe for fear of getting sores. The wounds heal but the marks are indelible. The caners are supposed to be so skilful that they never hit the same spot twice" (Sunday Times, Singapore, 13 July 1986).

"My buttocks swelled a little bit [...] the wounds hurt for about five days after which they itched as they healed. The first couple of days it was very hard to sit. Now [about six weeks after the caning] on one side there are three dark brown scar patches on my right buttock, and four lines each about 1.2cm wide on my left buttock, where the flesh was torn" (Michael Fay - 4 strokes).

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

Well, I would imagine that they won't do that again!

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Not quite sure why the back of the thighs are targeted instead of the buttocks, though. Anyone know?

I think it's because the other prisoners prefer it that way.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

You can't choose where they cane you, it has to be the buttocks and not thighs, and if you are 50 and above you are exempted from caning.

PROCEDURE IN DETAIL

The Singapore Prisons Regulations require that caning be inflicted on the buttocks (Regulation 132(2)).

In practice the prisoner is required to strip completely naked for the administration of the punishment.

A former prison officer has stated that, before the caning, the prisoner's name is read out to ensure he is the correct person. The offence and the prescribed punishment is read out so the prisoner can confirm it. (The same precautions are taken in Malaysia, as shown in the official video.)

Once he has removed his clothes, the inmate is made to stand facing the trestle so that he can be tied to it.

In Singapore, he is made to bend over a pad between the front legs. His feet are secured to the front base with his hands secured to the back legs, so that he is bent over at about right angles at the hip.

As the Straits Times described it in 1974, "he bends over with his bottoms [sic] up, ready to receive his punishment".

A pillow or cushion is secured across the small of his back to protect the vulnerable kidney area from a mis-stroke.

Michael Fay said "they stripped me and put rubber-lined padding around my sides, leaving the buttocks bare. Otherwise I was completely naked" (interview in Newsweek, 4 July 1994).

The prisoner is not gagged.

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

Thanks for the details, chubbychub. I agree that it does sound pretty grim.

So you are saying that the last paragraph of the JT article is mistaken about the target area.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Yes, JT article did not take the time to find out in detail.

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

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