The Singapore Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Thursday that the government agreed on an exception basis to allow Nguyen Tuong Van, an Australian drug trafficker, to hold hands with his mother and brother during a visit on the same day.

Nguyen, 25, was sentenced to death by a Singapore court last year after being found guilty of smuggling 396 grams of pure heroin from Cambodia to Australia via Singapore. He is scheduled to be executed on Friday, Dec. 2.

During the recent Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting held in Malta, Australian Prime Minister John Howard made a request to his Singaporean counterpart Lee Hsien Loong for a "contact" visit between Nguyen and his family.

The decision was made "after considering the request carefully, especially the personal appeal made by PM Howard, and the advice of the Prisons Department," the statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs noted.

"Like many jurisdictions that authorize capital punishment, Singapore does not allow 'contact' visits between prisoners and family members. Such encounters can be traumatic and are likely to destabilize the prisoners and their family members," it added.

Singapore had decided not to grant Nguyen clemency despite several appeals raised by Nguyen himself, his family as well as Australian leaders, officials and citizens.

Source: Xinhua